The Sunday Salon: Wrap-Up

Is it possible we've blown through January already? Amazing how quickly it goes. Today at the Salon, Here's some of the highlights from last month and what happened last week...

The most viewed post I had on the blog last month was The Sunday Salon: Confession Time. I was inspired by Bryan's post at Still Unfinished where he was talking about the pressures of blogging/reading/reviewing. It really hit home with me. In my post I confessed to caving under my own pressures to read certain books to stay relevant. It was a great discussion and reminded me that this blog is my creative outlet and a way for me to connect with other book people all over the world and the enjoyment I get from that is my reward. 

The most visited book review, with over 60 views, was LILLIAN ON LIFE by Alison Jean Lester. There's a lot of talk about that book and I'm glad I could help spread the word because its worth the time in reading it. 

LAST WEEK . . .

In the Mailbox . . . I received 2 review books. both from St. Martin's Press. THE LAST GOOD PARADISE by Tatjana Soli with a release date of February 10th.  I don't know much about it, but Amazon describes it as "A black comedy set on an island resort, where guests attempting to flee their troubles realize they can't escape who they are." 

The second ARC I received was MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD by Jeffrey Archer being published February 24th.  This is the fifth book in his very popular Clifton Chronicles Series.  I've read every book and I am totally excited for this new addition. This series has everything: family drama, political backlash, danger and intrigue - I just love it! Book four, CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR, had me laughing out loud in places, even though the main plot involved blowing up a new ocean liner filled with guests! Sounds crazy that I found it funny but parts of it really were comical. Supposedly there are going to be only a total of seven books in the series, so we're nearing the end, which makes me sad. But I will then look forward to his new endeavors. But I'm getting ahead of myself!  

On the iPod . . . I mainly listened to my audio book, ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE by Anthony Doerr. I'm a tiny bit past halfway and I am really enjoying the experience. It's 1940's France, with the German Occupation in full swing. I plan to finish it up this week and will have my thoughts later in the week. The one thing I will say at this point is that I understand why so many people loved this book. It has completely sucked me in. 

In the Kitchen . . . I stumbled across the most amazing chocolate cake recipe that just happened to be vegan. I am not a vegan. I'm not even a vegetarian. What I am is a legally blind white girl who lives alone, cannot drive, who was seriously crazing something chocolate but had no eggs and a limited pantry. So I did what any other woman craving chocolate would do: I hit the internet! The recipe I found had 7 basic ingredients that any normal person would have and was so quick and easy to make. The other thing I liked about it was, it made one 8x8 pan, which was perfect for just one person. I didn't want to make a huge cake so this was a plus! It was the moistest cake I think I've ever had. There was even a glaze recipe included but I did use butter in it so It was not vegan, but that really didn't matter to me. I drizzled the cake with the glaze and topped it with crushed pecans and a squirt of Ready Whip. It was exactly what I needed to satisfy my chocolate craving and I didn't have to ask someone to take me to the store and spend money on more ingredients!  I found this recipe on a website called Instructables and you can check it out here. 

As for today, its all about the Big Game for me. Though I'm hoping to do some raking in the yard early in the day if the wind will cooperate.  Later I'll be making chili cheese nachos to have while I watch the game. I'm not a big fan of either team but I'm less of a Patriots fan so I'll be rooting for the Seahawks. 

How about you? Will you be watching the game or just the commercials?