I’m going to read 100 books this year.
That doesn’t sound like much of a feat once I write it down, does it??
Oh well – I’m doing it! I’ve always been a bit of a bookworm. My parents put me in some hoity toity Montessori school that taught me to read picture books in Pre-K so I was the little snot that got to public school Kindergarten & told all the kids I could READ. I got bit a lot that year.
So far, I’ve read The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. It read like an AP English novel I was forced to read & dissect. So I took a turn for The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. I am on a thriller kick (thanks a lot, Dateline) & couldn’t put this down. I love books about cray cray females & missing/murdered people. Call me simple. Now, I’m reading The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides. I also love stories of confused females with multiple suitors. I can’t relate to her in the slightest but it’s fun to dream.
K I need 97 book suggestions. GO!
Time: 1 hour (prep + cooking) | Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of arborio rice
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 tbsp. of garlic, minced
- 1 lb. of uncooked shrimp, peeled + deveined
- 4 cups of vegetable stock
- 1/4 cup of dry white wine
- 1 cup of parmesan cheese + more for serving
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1 tsp. of lemon pepper
- S+P, to taste
- 2 tbsp. of olive oil
- Parsley, for serving
How to:
- Heat stock in a pot over low heat
- Heat olive oil in a pot over low-medium heat
- Add onion + S+P, cook for 3 minutes
- Add garlic + cook for another minute
- Add rice + coat with oil + onion
- Add wine + let absorb
- Add stock one ladleful at a time, letting the rice absorb fully before adding another, stir constantly
- When rice is almost tender, heat other tbsp. of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat
- Add shrimp + lemon pepper + S+P, cook until pink
- Add plenty of S+P to rice
- Stir in cheese + lemon juice
- Stir in shrimp
- Serve hot with extra cheese + parsley
- Unbutton jeans + eat entire pot
ALL of Dan Brown’s books!
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Really?! No one has suggested his stuff to me before!!
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YES! I I adore his books, especially the Robert Langdon focused ones. But if you’re not a huge fan of art, Deception Point and Digital Fortress are also very good. I can hardly put them down!
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This looks so tasty, can’t wait to try it!
Also, 100 books is super impressive. Other than product catalogs for client projects, I read ONE book last year. ONE, that is all. I am aiming for 5 this year. On my list is Wild by Cheryl Strayed, The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling), The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and Girl Boss (late to the game I know). Last year I read Big Magic and it was so good. I’m hoping to write up a little review on the blog soon, we will see.
-Krystle (designedbykrystleblog.com)
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I am with you – I slacked soooo hard this last year. All GREAT suggestions! I walk by The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up all the time & almost buy it each time. I need her magic! LOL
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The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up LITERALLY changed my life. Definitely read that one!!
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Where’d you go Bernadette is more of a comedy, but she is one wacky and fun lady. –Deb
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I read that a couple of years ago! Was a hoot!
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I think you might like Point Counter Point by Aldous Huxley.
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It’s not on my list – thank you!!
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Ahhh, this risotto. So, so, so good!
The Nightingale was my favorite book of 2015! Historical fiction, but really I couldn’t put it down and anyone I’ve recommended it to said the same thing. In terms of thrillers, Follow You Home, The Good Girl, and Before I Go to Sleep were all interesting! Also really liked the Wayward Pines trilogy.
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Ummmmm yes – adding allllll of these to my list. THANK YOU for the suggestions!!!
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Never thought of adding lemon juice to shrimp risotto. Good idea! Oh–and read For Whom the Bell Tolls!
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Oh I always have a lemon on deck when I’m whippin’ up risotto LOL
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An easy and enjoyable read on Amazon is EVERLASTING CRONIES by Andrew Oldham. Hope you enjoy it.
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Thank you!
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Thanks for making me drool again! 😳
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Any time! That’s what I’m here for! 😉
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Hahahaha!
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You did not get bit! Did you?????????????
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Are you kidding?? All the time! I was a brat!
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Okay… books.
A year and a few months ago, I posted on FB asking friends for novels that reach deep but leave you feeling inspired and hopeful about the human spirit– novels that shaped your life for the better. I ended up with a list of over 100 books, which I’ve been slowly working my way through. The best part is that they were almost all authors I had never read before, and almost all of those authors had written multiple books, so I’ve been chasing author-rabbit-trails for months.
I won’t leave all of them here (is there a character limit for comments??), but some of the stand-out ones have been:
-Spindle’s End and The Outlaws of Sherwood, both by Robin McKinley. McKinley has a genius for retelling old stories and bringing an insane amount of new texture to them.
-The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer. Gorgeous and creative perspective on life in the Channel Islands during and after Nazi occupation in WWII.
-The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. Never thought I’d feel sorry for Death, but he’s a tired and kindly narrator in this beautiful story.
-The Frontier Magic trilogy, by Patricia C. Wrede. Okay, this is young adult fantasy, but it’s damn good young adult fantasy. The Wild West meets Harry Potter.
(If you like fantasy, I’ve got about a million more recommendations, but I know it’s an acquired taste…)
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I think you can also count my previous post as a novel, so congrats! 96 to go!
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Oh. My. Gosh. YOU HAVE MADE MY LIFE! Thank you, thank you, thank you for the thoughtful suggestions! You have no idea how helpful this is. I’ve literally written them all down. The Book Thief has been on my list for a long time. You’ve inspired me to finally get around to it. THANK YOU, SWEET FRIEND!
xo
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😀
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Wow 100 books, I read a lot too but I don’t think I can do that .. And this risotto looks delicious.
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Ha! We’ll see how far I actually get! 😉
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Love this risotto recipe
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Thank you, thank you!
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Loved Girl on the Train….The Cuckoos Calling is also a great read!!
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Consider it on my reading list! 🙂
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Paper Towns or Looking for Alaska by John Green are great reads, Big Little Lies (which will be a movie soon), Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is my all time fave trilogy, The Art of Racing in the Rain is my fave of all time… I’m trying to read 30 books this year so I’m totally stealing some of the ideas from the comments 😀
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I’m such a big fan of sea food:) This a very nice recipe!
https://asparklingjourney.wordpress.com
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Im getting hungry reading this blog lol
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Okay, you thought I was done. I thought I was done. But you’ve hit me in a serious soft spot and now I can’t stop recommending books. I just listened to Stardust (Neil Gaiman reading Neil Gaiman’s book), which was beautiful. And then I finished Brené Brown’s Rising Strong, which is poised to change my life. Non-fiction, all about emotional awareness and how to pick yourself up and move forward wholeheartedly after the hard things and faceplants of life. I’m aggressively recommending this book to everyone in my life.
Also I’ve read 8 books in January, so I might be right there with you on the 100! Let’s share recommendations!
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