Mailbox Monday (36)

I have an awesome mailbox to share this week! It's due to the fact I'm scheduled for so many reviews over the summer, I think almost every week for two months straight. Lucky for me, they're books I'm really exciting about, and happy to share at Dolce Bellezza, our Mailbox Monday host for the month of June.
For Review from TLC Book Tours
The Registry by Shannon Stoker
I'm actually about halfway through this one already. It's a new adult dystopain that feels like a bit of a mix between Delirium and Matched. So far, I'm enjoying my time with it.

The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay
I've read so many amazing reviews of this (as well as the author's The Birth House), so I have high hopes of this historical fiction that takes place in Manhattan in the late 1800s. Hopefully it lives up to my expectations.

Godiva by Nicole Galland
I've read one of this author's before (I, Iago, which I actually shared in my first Mailbox Monday post ever), so I know I'm in for an exciting time. This is another historical fiction taking place in England in the 11th century.

For Review for Virtual Author Book Tours
Tilda Pinkerton's Magical Hats by Angela Shelton
I read a Tilda book last year and that it was a lot fun, which is what I was so excited to see there was another one on tour. The last one was actually more of a middle grade, while this is more of a children's book. Thumbing through it, it looks awesome. My favorite is how there's actual coloring sheets every few pages. I'm thinking I may have to color a few of them myself! Plus the author included a sticker, postcard, and what looks like a mini moo card.

From Paperback Swap
Food Politics by Marion Nestle
This is another book off my mom's wish list. It looks really dense and packed with information, but hopefully I'll get through it one of these days.

What did you find in your mailbox this week? And if you schedule reviews on your blog, what's the most you commit to in a given period? I try to aim for no more than once a week, but sometimes I think every other week would be the better way to do it.

June Blog Love

Last month I started my monthly post highlighting the sponsors of From L.A. to LA. So once again, here are the blogs you've been seeing on the sidebar, with a preview of what you'd find there. Enjoy!

Munchkins and the Military
Tips for the First Time Cruiser

"It's no secret that the Hubster and I are pretty obsessed with cruising. We've agreed that cruising is just about the only way we'll vacation. Even with the Triumph mess that happened two months before our Carnival cruise, we still had no worries that our cruise would suck. I wouldn't have minded a few extra days at sea either way. If you've never taken a cruise, you have to try it..."

Sprayable Sidewalk Chalk
Summer Pasta Salad

Beyond the Aisle
patriotic home decor: for memorial day and beyond...

"I was supposed to be a July baby - my due date was Independence Day. Apparently, I had other plans, and came into the world on May 29th. Being a May baby definitely has its perks: strawberry birthday cake, "summer blockbuster" options for theater outings, and, obviously, sandal weather. Sometimes, my birthday falls on Memorial Day - I suppose I traded one patriotic holiday for another...

As a kid reading my mama's Better Homes and Gardens and Country Living magazines, I imagined grown-up me living in a white farmhouse with a lot of Americana- red, white, and blue look so fresh and happy in home decor. While that dream hasn't come true quite yet, I love finding ways to add these colors to our living space!..."

If you want to look into sponsoring From L.A. to LA check out my sponsor page.

What are your favorite posts from around the blogosphere this past month?

Double Oh...

Bond Girl by Erin Duffy
Growing up Alex always new she wanted to work on Wall Street. But fresh out of college now that she's never, she's not quite sure what she got into. Will she be able to survive as one of the only females in a male dominated field?

When this book first came out I was dying to read it. Except I kept reading negatives reviews of it, and the more I read, the less sure about it I was. But when a friend lent me a copy, it was a perfect time to check it out. And I definitely wish I went with my initial impression, because I really enjoyed this.

I haven't seen this book classified as New Adult, likely because it was published before the current craze, but I think it fits pretty perfectly. After all, Alex has just graduated college and is starting her first job, two things that feel "new adult" to me. Maybe the reason is that Alex seems mature and knows why she's doing, while most of the typical new adult characters seem to not know what they're doing with their lives.

In a way this feels a bit like a memoir, and I think it could have worked as one as well. But I think it works better as fiction. You have to imagine a lot of the events in here happened to at least one person. But since this isn't actually a true story, there's no reason why the experiences of many couldn't all happen to Alex.

There is a bit of a love story in here, but I don't necessarily think it was needed. Part of me understands why it was there, but at times it seemed to take away from all of Alex's work drama.

Duffy does do an awesome job at getting the feel for what it's like working in finance. You may not be there with her, but it sure feels like you are. And while I still can't quite picture what the floor actually looked like, I do have a much better idea of it.

Parts of this book had me appreciate my current job. And yet others made me wonder, what if I had taken a similar career path? What parts of her job sounded exciting to me? I'm not quite sure I'm ready to make that type of career changing decision, but it was fun getting the chance to experience it with Alex.

4.5/5

Today I'm linking up with Blonde Undercover Blonde for Book Club Friday!

From Miss to Mrs: Extended Fun with Family

After the boy I and left our yichud, we met up with our families to take photos. We had taken photos with our immediate families before the ceremony, which meant all that was left was the large group shots. I had lists of who to include for each photos, and we were able to go through them fairly quickly, which I'm sure everyone involved appreciated.
Starting with both of our extended families,
to the boy's extended family,
to my extended family.
Then breaking it down further with my dad's side of the family,
and my mom's side of the family.
From there we sent everyone on their way to cocktail hour, while myself (and the boy) took a few last minutes shots with my godmother,
grandma,
and dad.
Did you find the time to take extended family photos at your wedding? Or do you think that's something high on your lists of priority shots for your future wedding?

All photos in this post courtesy of Sabree Hill Photography.
Miss a Recap Post?
From Miss to Mrs: The Calm Before the Storm
From Miss to Mrs: There's a Hurricane Coming?
From Miss to Mrs: Here Comes Isaac
From Miss to Mrs: Weathering the Cane
From Miss to Mrs: After the Storm
From Miss to Mrs: Trials and Tribulations
From Miss to Mrs: The Last Errands
From Miss to Mrs: A Night on the Town
From Miss to Mrs: The Hangover
From Miss to Mrs: Rehearsing in the Heat
From Miss to Mrs: The Last Single Supper
From Miss to Mrs: Gifting the Girls
From Miss to Mrs: The Last Single Night
From Miss to Mrs: Oh What a Beautiful Morning
From Miss to Mrs: Getting Prettified
From Miss to Mrs: Prepping the Plantation
From Miss to Mrs: Turtle Time
From Miss to Mrs: The Photographer Has Arrived
From Miss to Mrs: Becoming the Bride
From Miss to Mrs: Dress Details
From Miss to Mrs: Ou Est le Groom?
From Miss to Mrs: A Bridge-y First Look
From Miss to Mrs: Couple Time
From Miss to Mrs: Just the Two of Us
From Miss to Mrs: Grouping the Girls
From Miss to Mrs: Ain't No Party Like a Bridal Party
From Miss to Mrs: Fun with Family
From Miss to Mrs: Making it Official
From Miss to Mrs: The Bedeken
From Miss to Mrs: The Final Minutes
From Miss to Mrs: Programming Break
From Miss to Mrs: The Processional
From Miss to Mrs: Walking the Walk
From Miss to Mrs: Circle to Ceremony
From Miss to Mrs: Remembrance to Kiddush
From Miss to Mrs: The Exchanges
From Miss to Mrs: Lucky Number Seven
From Miss to Mrs: Mazel Tov
From Miss to Mrs: Ceremony Details
From Miss to Mrs: The Yichud

Googliness

The Internship
The may not go down as a Wedding Crashers type classic, but still is was a lot of fun.

I do think though, it might have been better if some of the best scenes (aka the X-men bit) weren't in the trailers. Although I do see a lot more trailers than the average person, so you may not have seen it yet. But there were a good amount of scenes not in the trailer, my favorite of which had to be the date scene.

While the movie may not make you want to work at Google, it definitely makes you want to visit. Plus I really want to play Quiditch now! I don' think this is one you actually must see in theaters, but if you have the time, why not?

Killer Kale

Last week when the boy roasted duck, he couldn't decide if he wanted to serve it with swiss chard or kale, so he bought both. He wound up decided on the chard, which left a large bundle of kale in the fridge.

I knew I wanted to cook some type of pasta dish with the kale, and thought I had pinned something that fit that description previously. While that wasn't the case, I did stumble on this Guy Fieri recipe, which I decided to adapt to my own. The biggest difference was substituting whole tomatoes for sauce and paste, based on the boy's preference. Although, I think I may have liked it better that way as well, since this way there was tomato coating each pieces, instead of pieces mixed throughout.

Kale and Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
Ingredients
2 red bell peppers
Olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large shallots, diced
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes, plus extra for serving
1/2 cup white wine
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1 large bunches kale
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (At least 1 chicken minus the pieces you or your husband steal while cooking.)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound rotini (Or other bite-size pasta of your choice. While there's two pounds here, I promise I only used one.)
Parmesan, for serving (not pictured)

Directions
1. Roast the red peppers at 450 degrees for 30 minutes, turning every 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Tent with foil to trap in moisture. Once cool remove skin, stem, and seeds and cut into long strips. (The boy complained that the strips should have been skinnier, so you may want to cut them smaller than pictured.)
3. Saute the garlic and shallots in heated olive oil. Cook until garlic is fragrant and shallots are translucent.
4. Add in the red pepper flakes and wine. Cook until most of the wine has evaporated.
5. Add the red pepper slices, and jars of tomatoes. Mix well and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the kale by removing the stems and tearing into bite-sized pieces. (Again the boy complained that the pieces were too large, so while it isn't the easiest to see, you may want to make your bite smaller than mine.)
7. Fold the kale and chicken into the sauce. Cover, and simmer around 20 to 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (The kale will shrink as it cooks, so even if it feels like there's no way it will all fit, don't worry. You'll be surprised at how quickly it seems to disappear.)
8. Meanwhile, cook the pasta per package directions until all dente. Drain pasta and mix with the sauce.
9. Serve with roasted red pepper flakes and freshly graded parmesan.
I was really impress how easy this dish was to make, especially since it was my first time roasting a red pepper and cooking with kale. Two things I now know, not to be afraid of. The boy did think it could have been a little spicier, but I'm not sure I could have handled more heat. But even with all his complaining, he seemed to enjoy it. Definitely a dish I'm wanting to make again, plus can't wait try our kale or making roasted red pepper in a different dish.

What's your favorite meal to make with kale? Or have you ever attempted to roast a red pepper?

Sex, Art, and Murder in the Wild East

Gaijin Cowgirl by Jame DiBiasio
Going into this I knew it was a different genre than I typically read. But it surprised me in a way, because I didn't dislike it. That's not to say I loved it either, but still enjoyed parts of it.

The book starts in Japan, and I was expecting a Japanese based story. Except the story then moves to Thailand, and what I wasn't anticipating was how much more I'd enjoy the parts in Thailand. I think because so much more of the action takes place at that point, it just was the section that was more entertaining to read.

My biggest complaint of this book, was the main character Val. She came off as so naive and stupid, in a way. And while I realize that was the point, she isn't someone I want to spend my time with. The hope would be that she grows through her actions, and while you could argue that she does, Val even at the end, still isn't someone I'd want to read about. I was told the book is classified as New Adult, and while that does fit, it almost felt like a way to rationalize Val's decisions.

Another aspect that isn't quite a complaint, but more like a confusion has to do with how the story is told. Each time a character had a question of what happened, we as a reader jump to that scene in the past. I actually found these historical scenes to be some of my favorites. But in a way it didn't feel fair that we knew this information and the main characters didn't. So while I really enjoyed them, I'm not sure they were needed.

This book is a really fun and action packed tale. I do think overall it has a lot of potential. The treasure hunting story is fun, and the places visited (especially in Thailand), really came alive. The book does leave itself open to a sequel, but unless Val manages to drastically change in it, I can't necessarily see myself picking it up.

3.5/5

Disclosure: I was provided this book through Virtual Author Book Tours. All opinions expressed are my own.