Resolutions

I have not stopped reading but unfortunately time has slipped away from me in the writing of this blog.  My daughter Katy Cain told me in order to have a succesful blog, one must actually write at least 2 times per week. My New Year resolution includes at least one hour of writing, everyday. That means that I can get some writing in while blogging, between my books. Since my last blog, I have finished many books but have not completed the ones on the 100 challenge list.

So what have I read:
1. Yes, Chef by Marcus Sammuelson- An interesting book that looks at this Chef's life from the beginning to current times. I loved that he got a break by being adopted by the Swedish family. His world would have beeen so different had he stayed in his village. I also liked that he paid it back by helping his half sibling.
      This book allowed me to explore the workings of a restaurant hierachy that I knew little about but suspected existed from shows like Top Chef, Hell's Kitchen, and other shows on television. I can safely say that my brief encounter as a luncheonette cook was not as crazy. I certainly would not have put my hand near anything that could rip the flesh off it. My husband says I have enough trouble in my own kitchen. He has taken me to the ER already with stupid mandolin wounds.

2. The Sweetness at The Bottom of The Pie and I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley.
    I absolutely loved these books. I think that I was enamored by Falvia de Luce because she reminded me of myself. I was not quite as enamored with poisons, but loved chemistry. I would sepend hours mixing concotions in my bathroom, no lab in the East wing for me. I also had no qualms about seeking outside entertainment and being a pest to my older sister. I contrived many a fake problem just to get my sister in trouble. I had a mother, but my father was absent not dead. I loved that she is always knee deep in a mystery. I also connected to the reader and had my nose in many a book, especially Nancy Drew.
Both books were fun to read especially the last one right around Christmas, where Falvia is trying to prove to her sisters that there is a Father Christmas, by capturing him in a glue substance that she has put together. A very charming book.

AND yes I have been reading the 100 books on the challenge. I have two checked out from my local library:
All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy and All The King's Men by Robert Penn Warren.

All the Pretty Horses took some getting used to, I had to start over several times because Mr. McCarthy uses a interesting technique of not putting quotation marks around his conversations. I had to figure out who was speaking. Once I got over that, because I did have a slight hissy about focusing on my characters, it started to become a little more interesting. I still was not fond of the meandering in the desert to get to a farm in Mexico. I am enjoying the book more, but have left our main character in the middle of being roused by men carrying guns. I suspect this is because of one or two reasons: he was temporarily traveling with a young man who was causing alot of problems including stealing his "own" horse back, or because he is messing around with his bosses daughter. I suspect it is more of the latter then the former. He was warned by her grandmother about not making her grandaughter's reputation be tarnished. A little more action currently then just riding with a pest thru the desert.
More on this before the end of nest week.
I have not started the other book yet but that will be the next 100 list book I will read.

Also for CHristmas I received 6 new books so I will review those as well.
SO my resolution not only includes writing about the 100 books but my own list of books.