Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Exploring the Mitten

You don't have to travel very far to find interesting destinations. Off the Beaten Path: Michigan provides lots of unique places for you to explore, grouped by area. Among them: the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso, Abbott's Magic Manufacturing Company in Colon, and Kitch-Iti-Kipi near Manistique (the state's largest natural spring). We have a wonderful variety of entertaining options within our own state!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Secrets from the past.

A Secret Kept by Tatiana de Rosnay, is a novel about secrets and the crushing cost of those secrets. Antoine, an unhappily divorced,forty something architect decides to take his sister Melanie on a vacation for her birthday. They go the the island they spent many happy summers as children until their mother died unexpectedly. Driving home Melanie turns to Antoine while she is driving to tell him something shocking she remembered about their mother-and drives off the road. She barely survives the accident and in the aftermath she and Antoine start remembering and investigating their mother's life. In the course of a few months,the revelations are many and lives are changed. A beautifully written novel, this will draw you into the character's world of Paris and their lives.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Frozen Iceland

Frozen Assets is the first book in a new crime series set in Iceland and features Gunnhildur "Gunna" the cop. She's a tough woman in a man's world and up to her neck investigating government corruption after a body is found floating in the harbor. The book jacket says "...is a piercing look at the endemic corruption that led to the global financial crisis and bankrupted Iceland's major banks..." For the American reader, this is a novel with a great sense of place,and a heroine to admire. ML

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Dinner's Ready

Perfect One-Dish Dinners might take the stress out of meals for you. Pam Anderson gives all sorts of ideas for stews, casseroles, salads, and grilled entrees. If you feel like doing a bit more, she's got accompanying recipes for appetizers and desserts, too. I can't wait to try out the spicy chicken enchiladas verde and the shrimp wonton crisps with Asian pesto. Yum!