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Pocket Wiki for Stardew Valley

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Looking for help or the latest tips for the game Stardew Valley? This all-in-one solution is exactly...

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2353 KP) rated Murder from Scratch in Books

Apr 11, 2019

Murder from Scratch

Leslie Karst | 2019 | Mystery, Thriller

8.8

(6 Ratings)

Book Rating

Sally Must Look Closely to Find a Killer

Sally Solari gets the news from her father that her distant cousin Jackie has died of a drug overdose. While Sally is sad, she and Jackie weren’t close – in fact, they hadn’t spoken in years and she hadn’t met Evelyn, Jackie’s twenty-year-old daughter, who happens to be blind. Evelyn was still living with her mom, and she can’t face trying to live in the house alone right away, so she winds up moving into Sally’s spare room for a little while. The two women hit it off, and are soon plotting home cooked meals and plans for Evelyn’s twenty-first birthday.

A stop by Evelyn’s house to pick up a few things she needs bring some surprises to light. Things are out of place. Since Evelyn is blind, she and her mother kept everything in the same spot so that Evelyn could always find what she is looking for without needing help. Evelyn suspects this means someone else was in the house when her mom died. The police have ruled it a suicide by drug overdose, but is Evelyn right? If so, can Sally see the clues to find the killer?

There is a solid mystery here with several viable suspects. I did feel the pacing was a bit off, but I loved how Sally pieced things together and how the climax played out. Sally’s group of family and friends is wonderful, and a couple of sub plots allow us to see more of them. The book is set in the beginning of December; while it doesn’t have a lot of Christmas spirit, there is some, and it adds a fun touch to the book. The standout character here is Evelyn. Through her, we get a look at modern life for a person who is blind, and I found that fascinating. We get five recipes at the end, and they sound delicious if a bit ambitious for this lazy bachelor to attempt to make. (Not that I ever make any of the recipes in the culinary cozies I read.)

Kudos

Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Oh Say Can You Fudge (Candy-Coated, #3) in Books

Feb 21, 2018

Rating ( of 5 stars)

***NOTE: I received a free review copy of this book from NetGalley***

Book #3 in the Candy Coated Mystery series

Allie McMurphy runs the historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop on Mackinac Island. Still seen by some as an outsider, she's worked hard to get onto the Star Spangled Fourth Committee to help plan the island's Fourth of July celebration. After missing several calls from her fireworks expert while working out a recipe for a new red, white, and blue fudge, Allie finally tries to return his call but gets no answer. Worried that something might go wrong with the fireworks show she is in charge of, she heads over to the warehouse where the fireworks are being stored and arrives just minutes before the building explodes.

With several recent fires and now an explosion, it appears that there may be an arsonist running around the Island. As if that wasn't enough to keep Allie busy, the committee is insistent that finding replacement fireworks at the last minute is her responsibility, since she is the one who wanted to hire someone new for this year's fireworks show. Allie has to make sure the fireworks go off without a hitch and stay out of the way of an arsonist who seems more and more determined to stop her from finding the culprit.

This was the third book in the series, but the first I had read. I was happy to find that the author briefly re-introduced returning characters so I had no trouble keeping up with the cast and their relations to Allie. The mystery kept me guessing until near the end of the book. It was suspenseful and humorous, with just a touch of romance thrown in for good measure. The heroine herself is a likable person, and her puppy Mal makes her that much more endearing.

There are several very yummy sounding fudge recipes included in the book as well. The recipes in this volume were all pie-flavor themed. I can't wait to try the Coconut Cream No Bake Fudge or the Strawberry Cream Pie Fudge, and to read more books from this series.

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Hardcore Carnivore: Cook Meat Like You Mean it

Jess Pryles

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Meet Jess Pryles, the female "hardcore carnivore" breaking the male stereotype when it comes to the...

Microsoft Dynamics AX Development Cookbook

Deepak Agarwal and Abhimanyu Singh

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Over 80 effective recipes to help you solve real-world Microsoft Dynamics AX development problems...

Janeeny (200 KP) rated Eat Yourself Healthy: An easy-to digest guide to health and happiness from the inside out in Books

Jul 8, 2020

I chose this book because I have a keen interest in healthy eating. I’m not a major healthy eater (I’m the wrong size and shape for that) but I try to make good food choices, I like cooking from scratch, and i’m interested in the science of food. ‘Eat yourself healthy’ also appealed to me as it didn’t come across as a standard diet and weight loss book, this seemed to just be focusing more on the whole health of your body.

This is a really informative book, Megan Rossi knows her stuff and relays that information in a straight forward and understandable way. The book is also interactive, as you can follow links (if you have the e-book version, hardcopy readers will just have to do it the old fashioned way and type in the web address) to take different types of self assessments. So you can learn where you are within mind and body at the moment of reading, and take re-assessments along the way to track your journey.

Of course this wouldn’t be a complete healthy eating book if it didn’t contain some recipes, so of course it does. There are some ‘interesting’ recipes within, not all to my taste, and some contain ingredients way beyond my standard shopping list but they could be worth a try. (The sautéed Brussel sprouts and tenderstem broccoli with pesto and wild rice sounds tempting)

My top take away from ‘Eat yourself healthy’ is the suggestion for gut goodness bowls. Rossi provides you with various ingredients divided into columns like ‘Fibre Base’ ‘Fermented Flavours’ ‘Healthy fats’ and ‘Dress and Coat’. You then essentially mix and match ingredients from these columns to create your own gut goodness bowl. I think its a great idea, you know you’re making healthy choices, and with just a few ingredients you can create a whole variety of different choices.

On the whole ‘Eat Yourself Healthy’ is a useful and informative book, not exactly ground-breaking in the science and diet department but still a great source of information.