Authentic Food From A Tuscan Farm by Susan McKenna Grant Translated, the title means “Slowly, Slowly, Full.” And this offering from another Canadian turned property owner in Tuscany is a fine offering in the world of cookbooks that also try to mingle regional history and recipes. Susan McKenna Grant covers meat, fish, poultry, pasta, and deserts. Bread making, salad dressings, various stuffings, and making gnochi are featured as well.
Piano, Piano, Pieno offers recipes for those who like to cook with seasonal sensibilities and for those cooks who have no hang-ups producing a bechamel sauce for a summer’s evening dinner.
With over 420 pages of Tuscan treats Piano, Piano, Pieno covers so many culinary areas it may replace a few of your other Italian cook books. And you won’t get ‘full’ trying!
Ciao!
Thanks to Gary M. for the review!
by Betsy Burton. The title of this book is the name of a long-established independent bookstore in Salt Lake City, Utah. Written by one of the founders, it is an engaging account of bookselling: its ups and downs and its often very humourous situations. Tales of famous authors who have visited the store add to the charm of this very interesting book and it discusses the struggle of the independent stores in modern times. A wonderful added feature are many booklists covering various genres, bestsellers and childrens’ books etc. through the years.
by Geraldine McCaughrean. Romantic and heroic this beautiful re-telling of the story of Cyrano de Bergerac is a treat for young adults and adults alike – a real treasure!
by Kate Muir. This is a wonderful, funny and bittersweet book which tells the story of the marriage of Madison and Olivier and of their daughter; it is so Parisien in its descriptions both geographical, culinary and socially and is hard to put down.
by Anne Perry. Set in England, it continues the story of the Reavley brothers’ search for the Peacemaker who killed their parent and plots to reshape Europe and the world. It is filled with tension and excitement and peoples’ relationships in a time of strife and horror and grips one to the very end.
by Susan Hill. In the vein of Ruth Rendell and P.D.James this book is much more than just a murder mystery; filled with interesting characters and situations it grips the reader until the very unexpected ending. It is available in paperback.
A novel by Katherine Govier is a fascinating tale of pearl divers and merchants that moves between Vancouver and Japan at the outbreak of Second World War. This is Katherine Govier at her best.
is a most satisfactory mystery set in Glasgow and the Isle of Lewis by Alex Gray, a welcome new member of the Tartan noir pack which includes Ian Rankin and Val McDermid. It is a taut, gripping whodonit with great character development.
by Ann Brashares This book comes from a good series so obviously it’s good. It’s about Carmen, Lens, Bridget and Tibby. Three summers ago, the sisterhood was going to dive into their first summer apart. Now they are entering their third. Lena is trying to find out who she is. She has a job & is going to art school. Her nasty old grandmother (the one who tried to get her & Kostos together the first summer) has been living with Lena since Babi, her grandgather died. Carmen want a job so she volunteers her time to look after Lena’s grandmother. She immediately regrets this decision because while at tan ice cream shop, she meets a guy she wants to date. Bridget is off to soccer camp again. You’ll never guess who she sees there & once more Bridget is crazy in love. Finally Tibby. She’s figuring out what the pants have trying to tell her all this time. And trying to figure Brian out as well. Girls In Pants, part 3, fits in great with the other 2 in the series. I hope there will be more. Ages 12 and up.
John Irving‘s new book is an entirely engrossing, very funny coming of age story with all the quirks we have come to expect from him. Having read all the recent reviews and learning how close to the bone the story is makes one realize what a deft touch he has.