Quote of the day

A fellow BFPA volunteer has this quote at the end of her e-mail signature and I love it.

"By adopting an animal, you have saved the lives of two; the one you have adopted and the one you have made room for at the shelter."

Think Adoption First!

Dismantlement = Freedom

From the book jacket: "Henry, Tess, Winnie and Suz banded together in college to form the Compassionate Dismantlers. Following the first rule of their manifesto – “To understand the nature of a thing, it must be taken apart” – these daring misfits spend the summer after graduation in a remote cabin in the Vermont woods committing acts of meaningful vandalism, and plotting elaborate, sometimes dangerous, pranks. But everything changes when one particularly twisted experiment ends in Suz’s death and the others decide to cover it up.

Nearly a decade later, Henry and Tess are living just an hour’s drive from the old cabin. Each are desperate to move on from the summer of the Dismantlers, but the past isn’t ready to let them go. When a victim of their past pranks commits suicide – apparently triggered by a mysterious Dismantler-style postcard – it sets off a chain of eerie events that threatens to engulf Henry, Tess, and their precocious nine-year-old daughter Emma. Is there someone who wants to reveal their secrets? Is it possible that Suz did not really die – or has she somehow found a way back to seek revenge?

Full of white-knuckle tension with deeply human characters caught in circumstances beyond their control, Jennifer McMahon’s gripping story and spine-tingling plot prove that she is a master at weaving the fear of the supernatural with the stark realities of life."

Sounds good don't you think? While the book received widely conflicting reviews, once I picked it up I did not want to put it down. I was rapt. I was spooked. I was intrigued. I was perplexed. Again I say, I was rapt.

There are annoying aspects of the book - as noted by one reviewer, I never want to hear the word "babycakes" again - but the writing is solid and actually pretty funny at times. I love quirky OCD Emma and her intuition regarding her parents' precarious relationship.

The author utilizes a multi-narrative style, in which each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character. This doesn't always work (in some books it becomes annoyingly repetitive) but I think it is very appropriate for this novel. When done properly, this style allows the reader to more closely identify with each individual main player. Here it works.

Spine-tingling is such a cheesy word, but fitting when describing this book. It'll keep you guessing until the end. A great weekend or beach read. Definitely worth checking out at your local library!

Butternut squash soup

I bought some fresh butternut squash at Costco on Saturday. It was already peeled, chopped into large pieces and came in a 2 pound plastic clamshell. Having always loved butternut squash soup, I did some research online and came up with my own recipe and the finished product was delicious. Sorry, no pictures.


Ingredients:

- 5-6 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
- 1-2 tbsp fresh diced garlic (I used it from a jar)
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 3 cubes chicken bouillon (can sub veg or chicken stock for H20 & bouillon)
- 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp Louisiana Cajun Seasoning
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 2/3 to 1/2 package cream cheese
- garlic salt and pepper to taste

1. In a baking dish, add squash, diced garlic, olive oil, garlic salt & pepper to taste. Mix with a large spoon to coat all squash pieces. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, stirring at least once.

2. In a large saucepan, add water, bouillon, marjoram, pepper, cajun seasoning, nutmeg and squash. Bring to a boil and then simmer for approximately 15 minutes.

3. In a food processor, add the squash mixture and cream cheese in batches until smooth. (I used my Blend-tec blender on the soup setting so it was a no brainer for me).

4. If serving immediately and soup has cooled, add soup back to saucepan and heat throughout. Do not allow to boil.

Makes 5 servings.

Lucas

Meet Lucas, my new foster (hopefully soon to be permanent) dog. It was love at first sight!

Lucas is a hound mix weighing 60 pounds and estimated to be 1.5 to 2 years old. He is the sweetest boy I have ever met (next to Bailey) and I just can't imagine giving him up! I have a weakness for tall men and Lucas is all legs.

Zoe and Rusty like him, too, and all dogs are getting along very well. I'll be sure to post more pics after he's fully recovered from his neuter surgery.

Zoe dog

The famous Zoe-roll. She is the most famous of snugglers.

In loving memory

...of Eve Carson.

While surely a delayed response, I only just noticed this lovely Carolina blue butterfly "chair" nearby the Eve Carson Memorial Garden on Saturday, September 10th, 2011.

I didn't know Eve (unfortunately) but I was deeply affected by her death. I annually participate in the Eve Carson 5K and I eagerly follow the progression of bringing her killers to justice.

If ever there was a true Tar Heel - in spirit and as an example in a life led - it would be Eve. All that I read about her makes me mourn for a bright light lost. I will continue to remember and honor her as a fellow Tar Heel for years to come.

Below, my niece Abby perched on Eve's chair, followed by a poor attempt to photograph the dedication plaque. I was using a phone...

One Day. Twenty Years. Two People.

I'd been wanting to read this book since I read about it in Entertainment Weekly a couple of years ago, but I didn't get around to reserving it from my local library until a few weeks ago. Just in time for the movie right?

In my perpetual state of procrastination I found myself on Monday evening at page 60 with less than 48 hours to finish the book, and I'm glad that's how it turned out. I'm sure I would've loved the book all the same, but reading almost the entire thing in two sessions made it all the more enjoyable. Given that the story takes place on July 15th every year between 1988 and 2007, I think it might've been less emotionally profound had I spent days rather than minutes/seconds between the connected years.

From the back of the book, "It's 1988 and Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley have only just met. But after only one day together, they cannot stop thinking about one another. Over twenty years, snapshots of that relationship are revealed on the same day - July 15th - of each year. Dex and Em face squabbles and fights, hopes and missed opportunities, laughter and tears. And as the true meaning of this one crucial day is revealed, they must come to grips with the nature of love and life itself."

The book took turns I was fully not expecting, but that I very much welcomed. I laughed out loud (so much so that onlookers at the gym made me explain what I was reading); I was shocked and inspired; and I found myself reminiscing about friends and loves from my past.

Emma and Dexter seem quite real. As characters in a story they are deftly developed. I was completely absorbed.

One Day makes the heart leap with anticipation, vibrate with laughter and completely stop in heartbreak.

Here's to hoping the movie directors/producers didn't completely eff up a great story.

U.S. of Tara cancelled and maybe a sign

I started watching U.S. of Tara out of convenience. I had a temporary free subscription to Showtime so I watched. Not only did I find that I liked the show, but I grew jealous of the tight relationship between the teenaged brother and sister in the show. They genuinely loved - and LIKED- each other.

I was over half-way through the 3rd season before I realized there wouldn't be a 4th. My ridiculous affinity of Kate and Marshall's tight siblinghood was sealed by their recollection/singing of the following:

"Lemondade. Crunchy ice. Sip it once. Sip it twice.

Lemonade. Crunchy ice. Make it once. Make it twice.

Touch the ground, turn around,

Kick your boyfriend out of town...now freeze!"



It's television, and they were very cute together. Unfortunately real-life siblings don't always truly love each other.

Tar Heel Bears

Football season is upon us! Hurray!

I have Tar Heel bears for sale. If interested in purchase please email me at tglazener@nc.rr.com.
Bears are $9 each; $8 each without UNC patch; $6 each without pom poms or patch. Shipping included unless you order 3+ bears - then perhaps a $1 extra :)
GO HEELS!