Waiting on Wednesday - August 29

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine,  that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating or books that are in our TBR pile.  This week’s “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is

I'm a big fan of Melissa Marr and her Wicked Lovely series.  Carnival of Souls is her newest title...wonder if it will be another hit series?  Outpost is #2 of the Razorland series.

Musings by Knitwits - Jam On by Laena McCarthy

 

 

 

 

This months selection is for the cooks in the audience.  Ever wanted to try your hand at making Jam:

 

Published: August 2012

Publisher: Studio

Pages: 272

Copy: Publisher and Netgalley

Summary: Goodreads

In Jam On, New York’s “Jam Queen” Laena McCarthy shares her love of making inventive handmade jam with delicious recipes and canning techniques. Her down-to-earth approach and unique, easy method allows even the novice cook to make fresh and exciting jam. The recipes in Jam On use less sugar, making the jams not only healthier, but more intensely flavorful than your average fruit concoction. With step-by-step instructions and four-color photographs throughout, McCarthy guides readers through the canning process and offers inventive herb and spice combinations for a range of signature jams.

Recipes include:
• Grapefruit & Smoked Salt Marmalade
• Strawberry Balsamic Jam
• Easy Like Sunday Morning Blueberry Preserves
• Tiny Strawberry Preserves with Thai Basil
• Rhubarb Hibiscus Jam
• Spiced Beer Jelly
• Hot Fireman’s Pear Jam
• Lime & Pandan Marmalade
• and much more

Last year I spent a fair bit of time making jam.  160 jars of it in fact, that we used as favours at my daughter's wedding.  Thankfully we had extremely good feedback on it and actually had several people ask for seconds.  I wasn't too adventurous, just making strawberry, raspberry, strawberry peach and a mixed berry.  How I wish I'd had Laena McCarthy's Jam On by my side when I had been slaving away.

This book is absolutely wonderful.  The colour photographs alone are enough to get your taste buds humming.  And there is so much selection. Just look at the names above in the blurb. Each recipe does not make a huge quantity, about four jars each.  Enough to get a good taste, but not so much that it's a waste if, however unlikely, you don't like the results. 

There are general how-to directions at the beginning and then full instructions for each individual jam, jelly, preserve, marmalade, chutney, butter or more.  How about Watermelon and Lemongrass Jelly; Brooklyn Green Tomato Chutney: Elevenses Peach Jam (sugar-free); Blackberry and Lavender Jam; Sun-Gold Tomato Jam; Big Apple Butter, or even Pickled Strawberries.  There are just so many delicious alternatives that it would be almost impossible to choose.

Jam On is an amazingly informative book that  makes no assumptions as to your ability and offers many alternatives for just about every fruit you can think of.  This book would be perfect for both beginners and expert jam makers alike.  I'm certainly going to add this one to my cook book collection tout suite. Now, I'm going to try out a couple of the pear altrnatives. My daugter has two pear trees in her yard that are just dripping with fruit. Hot Fireman's Grilled Cheese anyone, using the Hot Fireman's Pear Jam? Sounds good to me.

Stacking the shelves

Stacking the Shelves allows us to share the books we have added to our collections - physical, virtual, borrowed, bought or received. These past few weeks I've been loading my e-reader with books borrowed from the library for road trips.  I have to say, one of the things I LOVE about borrowing from the library in e-format is that they automatically expire after a certain timeframe so I'm not paying fines (I always owe the library for fines...). So here's what I've snagged - 

Shout Out to Indies

We here at The Paperback Princesses often receive emails from Indie authors requesting reviews and are blessed with free book copies. Often we are unable to get to so many titles before our mass market published books take over our TBR shelves. That doesn't mean there aren't plenty of great reads though! We want to give back to those Indie authors and are declaring EVERY SECOND SUNDAY our SHOUT OUT TO INDIES MEME. For those of fellow bloggers, please feel free to add our meme to your regular schedule. We only ask that you quote and link back to us as a courtesy. For all of you Indie authors, we invite you to contact us at the contact link to your top left. We will select 1 - 3 titles (each time we post) that sound interesting. Lastly, for you readers, this is a bit of a test so please do comment and let us know what you think. We will also be offering up giveaway copies whenever we can! So without further ado, here are this week's picks -

Summary (by Goodreads)

Ever since Kait Swanney could remember, the old crones of the village have been warning her to stay away from the selkies. They claim that like sirens of old, the seal men creep from the inky waters, shed their skins, and entice women to their deaths beneath the North Sea. But avoiding an encounter becomes impossible when Kait is spotted at the water’s edge, moments after the murder of a half-selkie infant. 

Unexpectedly, Kait is awoken by a beautiful, selkie man seeking revenge. After she declares her innocence, the intruder darts into the night, but not before inadvertently bewitching her with an overpowering lure. 

Kait obsesses over a reunion deep beneath the bay and risks her own life to be reunited with her selkie. But when she lands the dangerous lover, the chaos that follows leaves Kait little time to wonder—is it love setting her on fire or has she simply been lured?

Interested in this title?  Miss Holle has kindly offered to give away a paperback copy of her book, t-shirt and swag (bookmarks and bookplate) to one lucky winner.  Open internationally.  Please leave a comment indicating that you'd like to enter at the bottom of this post.  Winners will be drawn in two weeks.

Thumped (Bumped #2) by Megan McCafferty - Guest Post

 

Published: April 2012

Publisher: Balzer + Bray Publishing

Pages: 290

Copy: Library
Summary: Goodreads

It’s been thirty-five weeks since twin sisters Harmony and Melody went their separate ways. And now their story has become irresistible: twins separated at birth, each due to deliver twins…on the same day!

Married to Ram and living in Goodside, Harmony spends her time trying to fit back into the community she once believed in. But she can’t forget about Jondoe, the guy she fell for under the strangest of circumstances.

To her adoring fans, Melody has achieved everything: a major contract and a coupling with the hottest bump prospect around. But this image is costing her the one guy she really wants.

The girls’ every move is analyzed by millions of fans eagerly counting down to “Double Double Due Date.” They’re two of the most powerful teen girls on the planet, and they could do only one thing to make them even more famous:

Tell the truth.

I’m going to cheat a little and review the books as a whole, although my focus will be on Thumped, since that’s: a) where it ends and b) the one I’ve read recently.

I am probably the only person I know that hadn’t read Megan McCafferty before Bumped. *gasp* I know! I haven’t yet gotten to the Jessica Darling series. One day. Eventually. So I was engaged with Bumped, and enjoyed the lighthearted writing style McCafferty embodies, even while tackling what can be a pretty touchy (punny!) topic – teen sexuality.

Some have argued that the narrative on teen sexuality in this duo of books is preachy – and I can see that. And maybe that was the point, to give teens a bit of an eye-opener when they read. Because really, what would happen if only the under-18s group could reproduce? What if reproducing suddenly became not only necessary for that age group, but profitable?

Scarily enough, it sort of did. MTV’s show 16 and Pregnant reportedly caused an entire town of 16 year old girls to get pregnant on purpose so they could be on the show. McCafferty gives us that same type of scenario, with a lot more heart, some funnier language and a less heartbreaking ending (re: the show declined to have any of the girls on the show).

Was it predictable? Yes. I knew how the books would end before I had reached page 50 of Thumped. But I still enjoyed getting there. And even knowing what the rhetoric was (Practice safe sex! You have a choice! It’s your body!), I still enjoyed them – I didn’t mind having that message thrown in my face with McCafferty’s delicious writing style. And the characters are so wrapped up in this ridiculous game they’ve played, they keep forgetting what their purpose is. They keep forgetting that they are people – not ends to a means. It’s endearing. Melody and Harmony (who only met in Bumped – they were twins separated at birth) are close enough to be believably instinctive sisters, but distant enough that you don’t question the fact that they only really met 9 months ago (and have spent much of those same 9 months apart). Ram and Jondoe are hilariously competent – they try so hard and it’s adorable. Light, with a great message? Bumped and Thumped are thumbs up for me.

Oh, and quick high-five to Ms. McCafferty to sticking to her guns and keeping this a duo of books (which I’m guessing is partly because of Melody and Harmony being twins, and both being set to deliver twins. Twos all around, folks) and not going with the YA trend of trilogies and series and dragging things on and on and on. It wrapped up nicely. In two books. It can be done!

Many, many thanks to our dear friend and co-worker Special K for her unique views on books that Christinabean and I just don't have the time to get to.  Thank you.

Mortal Instruments news

A few weeks ago we updated you with the newest cast members for the upcoming film of City of Bones.  Well, just in case you haven't already seen the newest update, there is a firm date for the release of the film. Drumroll please .............

August 23rd, 2013.

 

 

So put this one on your calendar right now.  We'll see you in the line-up.

 

Check out the official movie page if you're interested in more cast info. http://themortalinstrumentsmovie.com/

Follow Friday

Feature and Follow is a blog hop that was started by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Each week a different question is posted by our hosts and we will answer! This is a great opportunity for bloggers to network and interact. This weeks question is:

Q: Worst cover? What is the worst cover of a book that you've read and loved?.

This is really hard.  There have been a lot of so so covers, but I think the one that I felt least portrayed the book is Gone by Michael Grant.  The US/Canadian covers don't give any real hint of what is going on inside the book, nor do any of the sequels.  I absolutely love the series, and the covers have constantly disappointed me.  Especially when the UK covers are so stark and have such a WoW factor - although they don't convey what the books are about either, come to think of it.  What do you think? Which do you prefer, UK on left - US on right?

 

Welcome to the Paperback Princesses! Make yourself at home, take a look around our blog and let us know what you think in the comments section. We would love to hear what you have to say about our posts. We often try to comment on your comments as well so feel free to start a conversation! Since there are two of us running the show, we always have a variety of titles and event postings. Be sure to check out our own personal meme page. Check out Fantastic Fairytales, Let's Hear it for the Boys, In Case you Missed it and a few others. We try to not only focus on new YA books but also great titles from the past.