Dinner and a Book: Slow Cooker Lemon Butter Chicken and The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this release from 

the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Dinner and a Book: Slow Cooker Lemon Butter Chicken and The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow (releasing 9/10/19). If you need comfort food and a comfort read, these two are a perfect pair.⁠
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The Book:⁠
"But--if you're an in-between sort of creature with no family and no money, with nothing but your own two legs and a silver coin--sometimes running away is the only thing you can do." January Scaller feels out of place roaming Locke mansion and being the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke while her father is on his mysterious expeditions. When she finds a special book filled with stories of other worlds, she falls right in--literally! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️A true book lovers' book.⁠
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The Dinner:⁠
1. Place 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in slow cooker.⁠
2. Combine 1/3 cup chicken stock with zest and juice from 1 lemon and pour over chicken.⁠
3. Combine 1 teaspoon each in small bowl: Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper, sprinkle mix over chicken.⁠
4. Top chicken with 8 fresh minced garlic cloves and diced 1/2 stick of butter.⁠
5. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours on LOW.⁠
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Save 1 chicken breast and the broth. Combine with cooked orzo and spinach to create a 2nd meal of Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup.⁠

Fall 2019 Cookbook Releases I'm Excited For (Regional & Ethnic)

The only thing I love doing more than reading is cooking. Unfortunately, it is so darn hot that I haven't wanted to spend any time getting hotter in the kitchen! I am eagerly anticipating cooler weather so I can get back to cooking and I am especially looking forward to these October 2019 (regional & ethnic) cookbook releases:⁠
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🥄Rustic French Cooking Made Easy: Authentic, Regional Flavors from Provence, Brittany, Alsace and Beyond by Audrey Le Goff 
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🥄Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking, Limited Edition by Nathalie Dupree, Cynthia Stevens Graubart 
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🥄Tuscany Favourite Recipes: Traditional Cooking by Vinci Bellomo , Paola Baccetti, Laura Giusti, Franco Palandra 
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🥄Rome Favourite Recipes: Traditional Cooking by Carla Magrelli, Barbara Santoro 
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🥄Oaxaca: Home Cooking from the Heart of Mexico by Bricia Lopez, Javier Cabral 
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🥄Pasta Grannies: The Official Cookbook: The Secrets of Italy's Best Home Cooks by Vicky Bennison 
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🥄South: Essential Recipes and New Explorations by Sean Brock 
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🥄Seeking the South: Finding Inspired Regional Cuisines by Rob Newton 
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🥄Wok On: Deliciously balanced meals in 30 minutes or less by Ching-He Huang 
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🥄Asian Noodles: 86 Classic Recipes from Vietnam, Thailand, China, Korea and Japan by Maki Watanabe 


I've got a long list of fall cookbooks I'm excited about so I decided to break them up into sections. Stay tuned for my other selections!

The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this release from 

the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Publisher's Summary:⁠
In 1850s London, the Great Exhibition is being erected in Hyde Park and, among the crowd watching the dazzling spectacle, two people meet by happenstance. For Iris, an arrestingly attractive aspiring artist, it is a brief and forgettable moment but for Silas, a curiosity collector enchanted by all things strange and beautiful, the meeting marks a new beginning.⁠
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When Iris is asked to model for Pre-Raphaelite artist Louis Frost, she agrees on the condition that he will also teach her to paint. Suddenly, her world begins to expand beyond her wildest dreams—but she has no idea that evil is waiting in the shadows. Silas has only thought of one thing since that chance meeting, and his obsession is darkening by the day.⁠
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My Review:⁠
I knew I was going to love this novel when I read that it was perfect for fans of "The Historian" and "The Crimson Petal and the White". Elizabeth Macneal delivered a dark debut full of obsessions, societal expectations, and the inner circle of a group of artists in 1850s London. Full of dirty streets, pubs, prostitutes, and dead animals, Macneal succeeds in achieving realistic depictions of life beyond the beauty of art's creation and display. This gritty historical novel is perfect for readers looking for their next gorgeously creepy read.⁠

Magazine Feature: My Tiny Pet by Jessie Hartland

Check out my review of "My Tiny Pet" by Jessie Hartland, a silly and scientific picture book featuring a unique pet.⁠
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Most parents are familiar with the negotiations involved in choosing a new pet, but Jessie Hartland puts a clever spin on the situation with a child’s very unique pet choice. When one girl’s personal pet menagerie grows out of control (6 poodles, 10 cats, a tarantula, 2 snakes, 3 hedgehogs, 10 mice, countless birds, hundreds of fish, an octopus, 3 rabbits, a pony, a pig, a goat, and 3 turtles) her overwhelmed parents announce it is time to simplify and downsize. However, after finding all her pets good homes and moving from a large home in the city to a tiny house in the woods, she begins her persistent request for just one pet. Initially met with resistance from her parents, she explains that the pet she wants is smaller than an ant and it needs no special beds, toys, food, or walking. She then introduces her intrigued parents to a tardigrade, also called a “water bear,” and the family agrees that this microscopic creature is the perfect pet for their small lifestyle.⁠
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Read my full review in the August issue of Missoula Valley Lifestyle magazine. 

Magazine Feature: Colorado Authors

One of my latest articles points out the importance of pre-ordering and features these new releases from Colorado authors:⁠
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⛰Beer Lover's Colorado: Best Breweries, Brewpubs and Beer Bars by John Frank⁠
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⛰The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator by Timothy C. Winegard⁠
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⛰The Extinction Agenda by Michael Laurence⁠
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⛰For the Love of Books: Designing and Curating a Home Library by Thatcher Wine and Elizabeth Lane⁠
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⛰Church of the Graveyard Saints by C. Joseph Greaves⁠
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⛰Dwell, Gather, Be: Design for Moments ⁠
by Alexandra Gove⁠
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To read the full piece check out the August issue of Boulder Lifestyle. 

The Swallows by Lisa Lutz

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this release from 

the publisher in exchange for an honest review

A New England prep school's secrets come to light with the arrival of Alex Witt, a reluctant new creative writing teacher and her seemingly simple writing prompt: What do you love? What do you hate? What do you want?⁠
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When the anonymous answers show a clear divide among students on their opinions of something called "The Darkroom" Ms. Witt begins to ask questions about what is really going on at Stonebridge Academy and among a group of students who call themselves "The Ten". When the "boys will be boys" attitude has always been brushed off, laughed at, and accepted becomes too much for the girls to bear, an all out gender war escalates with an interesting mix of enemies and allies on each side.⁠
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Quick afterthought: I thought high school was tough but thank goodness I did not have to deal with the technology available to students today where a whole other level of secrets, meanness, and abuse runs rampant and exists virtually unchecked.⁠