Delicious Chocolate Tres Leches Cake

Posted by Kimberly

May 14

I know this has nothing to do with books, but it was just too good not to share.  And, truthfully, I love good desserts almost as much as I love my books. 

For Mother’s Day yesterday, I made a Chocolate Tres Leches Cake to take to my mother-in-law’s for dessert.  I found the recipe at Fine Cooking and, having never made a tres leches cake before, set about testing a new-to-me recipe. 

This is the picture from the Fine Cooking website of what the cake is supposed to look like - doesn’t that look heavenly?

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I’m happy to report that the recipe turned out exactly as described and tasted delicious!  It was a hit at lunch and has made it on my list of desserts that will definitely be repeated (& often!). 

If this were a book and I was giving it a rating, it would get a full 5 Sunshines! 

Did you try any new recipes this weekend?  Feel free to share in the comments!

Kimberly

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Review + Giveaway: What to Expect When You’re Expecting

Posted by Kimberly

Apr 30

A few weeks ago, the What To Expect team sent me a copy of the What to Expect Series of books: What to Expect When You’re Expecting, What to Expect the First Year and What to Expect the Second Year by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel.  In addition to sending me copies of the books to review, they also generously offered two printed sets of books for me to giveaway to two lucky readers!  Details for the giveaway are the end of this post.

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Now, I’ll be the first to tell you that I don’t have children of my own and I’ve never been pregnant (yet), but the beauty of these books is that they are great for all stages of pregnancy, even preconception.  There’s a whole section of what to do before you conceive!  Now, most everyone knows you should quit smoking, drinking, etc before trying for a baby, but did you know you should update your immunizations and go to the dentist before you get pregnant to help you have a healthier pregnancy?  Me neither, but I know it now and can make sure I schedule those appointments before my sweet husband and I decide to start our family.  There’s even a preconception prep section for Dads!

I love the way the What to Expect books are organized.  The table of contents is divided into months and each section tells you how your baby is growing, what you might be feeling as your body changes, what tests to expect at the doctor and even answers to frequently asked questions and concerns.  The layout of the sections makes it easy to find the information you are looking for and quickly read through the section that applies to you right now.  You can also read ahead to see what’s coming up.

Now, some people might think that too much information can make you worry too much about what-ifs, but I’m one of those people who finds comfort in facts – the more facts at my fingertips, the better I feel about my decisions.  You might feel the same way or different, but the What to Expect series makes it easy to read what is relevant to your personal experience and skip the info that doesn’t apply to you.  For example, if you’re having a normal pregnancy, the section relating to complications isn’t for you.  But for someone who has a pre-existing medical condition, this section contains vital information.

I don’t have enough space here to tell you all the interesting tidbits I learned while reading through these books, but I can tell you that I feel much better prepared for my own future pregnancy when the time comes.  And I feel much more comfortable knowing these books are on my bookshelf as a ready resource any time I have questions.

Since I haven’t experienced what it’s like to be pregnant yet, I took an informal poll around the office, asking all the Moms what they found most helpful about this series.  Without fail, they all said the books helped them communicate better with their doctors and ask questions that they wouldn’t otherwise have known to ask.  I’m a big fan of anything that helps open up a dialogue between you and your doctor and for that, I gave this series 5 Sunshines!

Want to win a printed copy of all three books for yourself or a friend?

TWO lucky winners will each receive:

  • What to Expect When You’re Expecting
  • What to Expect the First Year
  • What to Expect the Second Year

The easiest way to enter for your chance to win is by visiting our Facebook fan page and clicking the sweepstakes tab at www.facebook.com/LazyDayBooks.

If you are not on Facebook and would like to enter for a chance to win, please leave a comment at the bottom of this post that says “I want a chance to win the What to Expect Series.” OR send us an email to read(at)lazydaybooks(dot)com.  When emailing us, make sure you include your name, age (must be 18 or older), city and state where you live.

Since we will use email to notify the winner, all entries must include a valid email address.  If you are chosen as a winner, we will also ask you for your mailing address so we know where to send your books.

The winner will be determined by random drawing on Monday, May 14, at 8p CST.

Happy Reading and Good Luck to All!
Kimberly

If you’re into instant gratification, you can purchase and download eBook copies of the books from us by clicking the title: What to Expect When You’re Expecting, What to Expect the First Year, What to Expect the Second Year.

UPDATE 5/14/2012 8pm: Congratulations to Lindsey T. and Colleen J., winners of the WHAT TO EXPECT Series Giveaway! Please check your email for instructions on how to claim your books.  Thank you to all our participants, we hope you’ll check back for more giveaways coming soon.

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Book Review: The Abbey by Chris Culver

Posted by Kimberly

Apr 27

We have a guest post today from Tammy T., one of my favorite people!  Tammy is a fellow book lover and she has a wicked sense of humor.  Most days, she’s the one who keeps me sane…

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I just finished reading The Abbey by Chris Culver, and I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.  It was not what I expected, based on the description given in my e-reader, and I was prepared for it to be an okay read.  I decided to give it a try anyway and am so glad that I did.

Back of the book description:
Ash Rashid is a former homicide detective who can’t stand the thought of handling another death investigation. In another year, he’ll be out of the department completely. That’s the plan, at least, until his niece’s body is found in the guest home of one of his city’s most wealthy citizens. The coroner calls it an overdose, but the case doesn’t add up. Against orders, Ash launches an investigation to find his niece’s murderer, but the longer he searches, the more entangled he becomes in a case that hits increasingly close to home. If he doesn’t solve it fast, his niece won’t be the only family member he has to bury.

 

It is not often that I can read a book and not ascertain who the true villains of the story are and pretty much know how it will end before I get there.  In The Abbey, Culver manages to tie together Sanguinarianism (drinking of blood), illicit drug trade, dirty officials, biological warfare, and of course love. 

The Abbey kept me in the throes of the story line, completely enthralled, and I was actually thrown for a loop by the twists in the plot.  My favorite part about the novel was the multi-layered agendas at work by all of the characters.  Through it all the main character, Ash Rashid, while flawed, remained very human as he struggled with some moral dilemmas, both professionally and personally.  An overall good guy.

I could not put it down and could not believe I read all 572 pages in a matter of days!

Eagerly awaiting the second Ash novel,
Tammy T.

 

Book Review Notes:
Title: The Abbey
Author: Chris Culver
Subject: Crime Fiction, Thrillers
Published: 2/3/2011
Publisher: Chris Culver
Source: Personal copy

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Book Review: The Innocent by David Baldacci

Posted by Kimberly

Apr 16

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I’ve been a fan of David Baldacci’s books for years, so when I had the opportunity to receive an advanced eBook copy of The Innocent, I jumped at the chance!  I’ve especially loved Baldacci’s The Camel Club Series, but was excited to see that The Innocent introduces a new hero to us: Will Robie – an assassin with a moral code.

Back of the book description:
America has enemies–ruthless people that the police, the FBI, even the military can’t stop. That’s when the U.S. government calls on Will Robie, a stone cold hitman who never questions orders and always nails his target.

But Will Robie may have just made the first–and last–mistake of his career . . .

THE INNOCENT

It begins with a hit gone wrong. Robie is dispatched to eliminate a target unusually close to home in Washington, D.C.  But something about this mission doesn’t seem right to Robie, and he does the unthinkable. He refuses to kill. Now, Robie becomes a target himself and must escape from his own people.
Fleeing the scene, Robie crosses paths with a wayward teenage girl, a fourteen-year-old runaway from a foster home. But she isn’t an ordinary runaway-her parents were murdered, and her own life is in danger. Against all of his professional habits, Robie rescues her and finds he can’t walk away. He needs to help her.

Even worse, the more Robie learns about the girl, the more he’s convinced she is at the center of a vast cover-up, one that may explain her parents’ deaths and stretch to unimaginable levels of power.
Now, Robie may have to step out of the shadows in order to save this girl’s life . . . and perhaps his own.

From the beginning, we follow Will Robie on two missions in Edinburgh and Tangier, the details of which are related in a detached, almost clinical, fashion.  Through these missions, we learn Robie believes his handlers when they tell him his targets have done something terrible for which they deserve to die.  He doesn’t over-analyze his orders, but carries them out with cold finality.  That is, until one mission close to home in Washington, D.C. goes horribly wrong and has him second guessing everything he’s been told.

While on the run, Robie steps in to help a young teenager, Julie Getty, who has just witnessed her parents brutal murder and is now a target herself.  Together they discover their cases are connected and work together to figure out who is after them and why.

“Robie moved down a short hallway and stopped.  In front of him was a wall of firepower that he had drawn on in the past to accomplish his work.  It included pistols, rifles, shotguns, and even a surface-to-air missile launcher.  It seemed James Bondish, but was actually just the typical stock-in-trade for people in Robie’s field.  He took down what he thought he might need and stacked it against one wall.”

I love a good story of political intrigue and The Innocent has plenty of it to go around.  As always, if you pay attention to the details, Baldacci gives you plenty of clues along the way to figure who the bad guys are, but the way the final reveal comes about is surprising and keeps things interesting.

Will Robie is a character I would love to see again!  Perhaps The Innocent could be the beginning a new series?

Chock full of conspiracies and plenty of thrilling action, this was one 5 Sunshine book I stayed up all night to finish!

Happy Reading!
Kimberly

Book Review Notes:
Title: The Innocent
Author: David Baldacci
Subject: Fiction, Thrillers
Published: 2012
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing/ Imprint: Macmillan
Source: advance eBook copy from Publisher

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Book Review: The English Assassin by Daniel Silva

Posted by Kimberly

Apr 5

Regular readers know that I’m working my way through Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon series in my own personal reading challenge this year.  Book 2 in the series is The English Assassin.

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Back of the book description:
When art restorer and occasional Israeli agent Gabriel Allon is sent to Zurich, Switzerland, to restore the painting of a reclusive millionaire banker, he arrives to find his would-be employer murdered at the foot of his Raphael.  A secret collection of priceless, illicitly gained Impressionist masterpieces is missing.  Gabriel’s handlers step out of the shadows to admit the truth—the collector had been silenced—and Gabriel is put back in the high-stakes spy game, battling wits with the rogue assassin he helped to train.

_________

I really enjoyed this one!  I felt like I got to know Gabriel, and the other recurring characters, a little better this time, but in a completely different setting: Switzerland.

It’s clear from the beginning that Silva has done extensive research into Switzerland’s WWII history.  Although this book is full of information about Swiss banking and Nazi Germany during WWII, I never felt like I was listening to a history lesson.  Full of mystery, intrigue, beautiful music and artwork, I felt like I was taking a fast-paced tour of Switzerland and the surrounding region – with plenty of daring spy-work to keep my heart rate up.

The English Assassin had a completely different feel to me than The Kill Artist did and for that I give it extra kudos- it can’t be easy for an author to stay true to a character like Gabriel and still produce such a different and interesting adventure, leaving the reader wanting even more.  I’m quickly becoming addicted to this series!

I gave The English Assassin 5 Sunshines and I’m hoping Book 3, The Confessor, continues the thrill!

Happy Reading!

Kimberly

 

Book Review Notes:
Title: The English Assassin
Author: Daniel Silva
Subject: Fiction, Thrillers
Published: 2002
Publisher: Penguin Group
Source: Borrowed copy from friend

If you’re looking for the latest Gabriel Allon adventure, you can download Portrait of a Spy here.

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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Posted by Kimberly

Mar 23

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I know, I know… I am so very late to the party, but I am now fully on-board the Hunger Games bandwagon.  I resisted for as long as I could, but the good reviews just kept rolling in from fellow readers I respect a great deal.  So, I listened and bought the trilogy. 

Last week (yes, just last week), I finished Book 1, The Hunger Games, and can’t believe I waited so long to start this series.  I loved it!  And what incredible timing I have, since the movie comes out today and I have tickets to go see it this weekend.

I’m not going to do a full out review.  What’s the point?  You’ve already read it and loved it, so now it’s time to talk about the movie.

So, here is what I want to know:  Do you think the movie lives up to the book?

Tell me what you think about it in the comments!

I’m going to see the movie tomorrow afternoon and then I’ll tell you what I think, too.  In the meantime, I’m in the middle of Book 2, Catching Fire, and I’m anxious to see what happens next…

Happy Reading!
Kimberly

Updated Monday, March 26, 2012, 330p:  So, like millions of others, I went to see the movie this weekend.  I have to say it was a great adaptation of the book!  There were a few things that were different than in the book, but the changes were necessary for the story to make sense on the big screen.  Overall, I think it was very well done and I’m looking forward to the next one!

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Book Review: The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva

Posted by Kimberly

Mar 12

As I mentioned last week, one of my personal challenges this year is to read all of Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon books.  Chris S., one of my good friends, has been raving about this series and I do love thrillers.  Based on everything he had told me, this series seemed like a good fit for me.   Plus, Chris was nice enough to loan me his copies of the books, so I really had no excuse.

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Back of the book description, The Kill Artist:
Once a key operative in secret Israeli-intelligence missions, Gabriel Allon is on the run from his past, assuming a quiet life as a meticulous restorer of priceless works of art. But now he is being called back into the game. The agent with whom he is teamed hides behind her own beautiful mask-as a French fashion model. Their target: a cunning terrorist on one last killing spree, a Palestinian zealot named Tariq who played a dark part in Gabriel’s past. What begins as a manhunt turns into a globe-spanning duel fueled by political intrigue and deep personal passions. In a world where secrecy and duplicity are absolute, revenge is a luxury no man can afford-and the greatest masterpiece of all.

So, I set out to read book one, The Kill Artist, and I learned a very important lesson about starting any new series: block out enough time to really pay attention to the first chapters as they contain lots of important information that you’ll need later.

I had started the book on the train on my way into the office one morning, which only gave me about 20 minutes of reading time.  I picked it back up that evening, but I hadn’t paid close enough attention in the morning and felt lost.  I have a lot of books on my to-be-read list and was tempted to give up and move on to the next book, but I remembered how much Chris loved this series and decided I hadn’t really given the book the start it deserved.  So, I blocked out an hour of uninterrupted reading time and started over from the beginning.

An hour into it, I was hooked and couldn’t wait to see how the story developed.  Before I knew it, two hours had flown by and I couldn’t tear myself away.

Silva does a great job setting up the characters in this first book of the series and he doesn’t skimp on the action to do it.  There are plenty of twists and turns to keep your heart racing!

I like how Silva writes the hero, Gabriel Allon, to be more human than super-hero and gave us enough background to understand what makes him tick without spilling all the beans right up front.  There are still plenty of mysteries to unravel as the series progresses.

As the excellent start of a new-to-me series, I gave The Kill Artist 5 Sunshines and I’m looking forward to the next part of the adventure as it unfolds in book two, The English Assassin.

Happy Reading!
Kimberly

Book Review Notes:
Title: The Kill Artist
Author: Daniel Silva
Subject: Fiction, Thrillers
Published: 2000
Publisher: Penguin Group
Source: Borrowed copy from friend

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Hello Again & 2012 Reading Resolutions

Posted by Kimberly

Feb 21

I was mostly absent from social media outlets during January and February and I have to admit I found it to be a refreshing change of pace.  I think social media is a very important tool for staying connected, but sometimes it’s okay to take a “vacation”, just like in real life.  So, now I’m back and ready to hit the ground running. 

What are your reading goals this year? 

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I have set two major reading goals for myself this year.  First, on the recommendation of my good friend Chris, I’m reading through Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon series.  My goal is to read the entire series this year!  For those of you keeping count, that’s 12 books in all, including the newest thriller due out this Summer.  I finished the first two in January,  The Kill Artist and The English Assassin, and will post my reviews of those soon (hint: I’m totally hooked).

My second reading challenge this year was issued by a reading group friend.  The challenge is to read through the alphabet this year.  That’s 26 books in 12 months, each book title starting with a different letter of the alphabet.  All reading categories count for this one.  They don’t have to be in order, unless you just want to read them that way.  If a book title starts with “The”, you use the first letter of the next word.  So, The Kill Artist counts as a “K” and The English Assassin counts as an “E” in this challenge. 

I’ll set up a reading challenge page this week to keep track of my progress this year.  Who wants to join in?

Happy Reading!

Kimberly

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This Week’s New Releases & eBook Bargains

Posted by Kimberly

Dec 22

This week’s new releases brought many limited-time eBook bargains that make it easy to discover new-to-you authors.  They also make great gifts!  If you are giving a new eReader this Christmas, why not load it up in advance with a variety of eBooks so your special someone can start eReading right away?  Or, if you’re the eReader in the family, bargain-priced eBooks are are a great way to find new authors you might like without investing a lot of money upfront.  If you’re like me and you read a lot every day, then bargains like these help stretch your book budget so you can buy more for the same amount of money.

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CROQUEMBOUCHE by Jael McHenry, 99cents.  In Jael McHenry’s short story Croquembouche, a young woman in a relationship with a pastry chef realizes that she deserves to be more than just another decorative addition to his perfectly polished world of fancy dinners and wine tastings. This eBook also includes an extended excerpt from McHenry’s critically acclaimed debut novel The Kitchen Daughter.

WARLORD with Bonus Material by Ted Bell, $1.99.  For a limited time, catch up with British-American MI6 counterterrorism operative Alex Hawke in Warlord, for a reduced price. Plus, also receive a bonus excerpt from Ted Bell’s new thriller, Phantom, on sale this March. In Warlord, Alex Hawke has all but given up on life, ever since he lost the woman he loved almost a year ago. But now an old friend desperately needs his help—His Royal Highness Prince Charles.

THE STUPIDEST ANGEL with Bonus Material by Christopher Moore, $3.99.  For a limited time, devour a heartwarming tale of Christmas terror in Christopher Moore’s The Stupidest Angel, for a special price. Also included is a sneak peek at his forthcoming novel, Sacre Bleu, A Comedy d’Art. In The Stupidest Angel, ‘Twas the night (okay, more like the week) before Christmas, and all through the tiny community of Pine Cove, California, people are busy buying, wrapping, packing, and generally getting into the holiday spirit. But not everybody is feeling the joy. Little Joshua Barker is in desperate need of a holiday miracle. No, he’s not on his deathbed; no, his dog hasn’t run away from home. But Josh is sure that he saw Santa take a shovel to the head, and now the seven-year-old has only one prayer: Please, Santa, come back from the dead. But hold on! There’s an angel waiting in the wings. (Wings, get it?)

   

EVERY WHICH WAY BUT DEAD by Kim Harrison, $1.99.  For a limited time and at a reduced price, catch up with Rachel Morgan and the Hollow Series with Every Which Way But Dead at a special price! Also included is an exclusive sneak peek at Kim Harrison’s new novel, Perfect Blood, available February 21st. In Every Which Way But Dead, witch and former bounty hunter Rachel Morgan’s managed to escape her corrupt company, survive living with a vampire, start her own runner service, and face down a vampire master.

JUSTICE by Faye Kellerman, $1.99.  For a limited time, discover one of Faye Kellerman first Decker/Lazarus novels at a special price, including an exclusive excerpt from her new thriller, Gun Games, available January 2012. The cruel and bizarre slaying of a beautiful teen leads Detective Decker into the dark heart of an exotic subculture: the seamy, sometimes violent world of Southern California’s rootless, affluent youth. But even the confession of a disturbed kid with cold “killer eyes” cannot soothe Decker’s inner torment. For he knows in his gut this crime goes much deeper and higher than anyone expects—and that true justice, brutal and complete, has yet to be done.

THE DOOMSDAY KEY and THE LAST ORACLE by James Rollins, $4.99.  For a limited time, discover the bestselling Sigma Force thriller series by James Rollins, with a specially priced bundle of The Doomsday Key and The Last Oracle. And don’t miss an extended excerpt from The Devil Colony, Rollins’s latest New York Times bestseller, as well as an exclusive teaser from Blood Line, the next Sigma Force novel on-sale June 2012.

Which book(s) would you like to receive as a gift this year?

Happy Reading!

Kimberly

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Thriller Thursday: 11/22/63 by Stephen King

Posted by Kimberly

Dec 15

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11/22/63

Stephen King’s newest book departs from the traditional horror genre on an interesting new path: a blend of sci-fi, philosophy, history, politics and romance. It wouldn’t be Stephen King if there weren’t some extraordinarily descriptive gore involved, but Constant Readers will be happy to see that King’s monumental talent for character and plot development translate well to other genres.

Our hero – Jake or George, depending on where you are in the book – is shown a portal that will drop him into the late fifties, back when milk was as thick and real as the racism, and social upheaval and the assassination of John F. Kennedy was still years in the future.

The man who ushers Jake into his new career as time-traveler is Al, the owner of the diner that houses the portal. Dying from cancer, Al decided to go through the portal permanently to prevent the assassination of JFK; but fearing he won’t live long enough to be successful, he recruits Jake to take on the task and arms him with plenty of information and money to make a successful run.

Through the magic of fake IDs, Jake becomes George, the man who goes back to a time without iPhones or the internet, to try to change history. But will it be everything he hoped? Will George risk everything for JFK?

An intense, emotional and thought provoking study on the “butterfly effect,” 11/22/63 will thrill you from the first page to the last.

I give this book 5 Sunshines, and expect it to be on my “re-read list” within a year.

Janet

Want to know more?  Here is an interview with Stephen King about his first attempt to write 11/22/63!

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Book Review notes:
Title: 11/22/63
Author: Stephen King
Subject: Fiction
Published: 11-08-2011
Publisher: Scribner
Source: Personal copy eBook
Price: $14.99

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