The Sunday Salon: Palm Sunday Edition

The scene//  8:00 AM... and home again! We left three week ago in the dead of winter and returned yesterday evening to find that spring is finally here. Sure we still have a few lingering snow banks, but the ice on the lake was breaking up and this morning it's entirely gone. I'm celebrating with a cup of hazelnut coffee.

Reading//  I finished The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman and The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress by Ariel Lawhon. Both were wonderful. Yesterday I started our next book club selection, Defending Jacob by William Landay.

Listening//  You guessed it - Middlemarch, still. I'm over 80% done and loving it... but it's one long book, folks.

Watching//  Foyle's War. I borrowed the first season from the library in Florida, watched a couple of episodes with my father-in-law, and am totally hooked. I'll continue watching via Netfllix.

In the kitchen//  After three weeks away, there isn't much of anything in the refrigerator or on the pantry shelves. A trip to Wegmans is my highest priority today!

Blogging//  I've missed you all and can't wait to get started again! With plenty of reviews to write and countless blogs to visit, it may take all week to catch up.

Planning//  A remodeling project in Florida. I spent much of the last week meeting with contractors, selecting cabinets, tiles, granite, etc.  One more trip in early May and we'll be ready to get started, but I'm a little nervous about not being on site while the work is done.

Loving//  Spring in Central New York. I opened the windows last evening for the first time since November.

Later today//  We'll have Palm Sunday dinner with my parents and siblings. I can't wait to see everyone!

It's finally time to change the blog header again. Happy Spring!

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The Sunday Salon: Still on Vacation

Good morning and Happy Sunday!

The scene//  Sunday, noonish. Drinking a tall glass of cold water and relaxing on the lanai after a long walk. I’m still in Florida and will bike to the library to publish this post later today.

Reading//  Not much, but it will be a higher priority this week. I started The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman last night and loved the opening chapters. It could be a real winner!

Listening//  I’m listening to Middlemarch on my walks, but only when I'm alone... and that didn't happen much last week. Still, I’ve past the 65% mark and am really enjoying this classic.

Watching//  In anticipation of yesterday’s rain (and without access to Netflix), I borrowed the Foyle’s War series from the library. It looks like we’ll have beautiful weather for the rest of the week, so I might not make much more progress. We’ll see…

I’m still watching basketball, too, but March Madness isn’t quite as exciting after your team has been eliminated.

Blogging//  The TBR Triple Dog Dare ends tomorrow and it looks  like I’m going to make it! That is, if you forget about the special one-day dispensation graciously granted last month. Thank you, James, for hosting this event again and for being so generous with exceptions ;-)

With limited internet access, I haven’t been able to read blogs or respond to your comments. I have read and appreciate all of your comments, and hope to spend a couple of hours at the library for some serious blog-hopping this week!

Planning//  A quiet afternoon of reading before my father-in-law comes over for dinner. I’m not quite sure of the menu yet, but a grill will definitely be involved!

What are you up to today?

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TSS: Warmth, at Last

What a difference a day makes. The view from my window Friday morning featured gray skies and a fresh inch or two of snow. We arrived in Florida around midnight and by Saturday morning I was ready for my first walk on the beach.

The scene//   8 AM, on the lanai, drinking coffee, and listening to the birds

Reading//  Middlemarch, but  without much progress this past week.

Listening//  Same as above ;-)

Watching//  March Madness.  Some of you will already know that my Syracuse Orangemen crashed, burned, and made their exit from the Big Dance last night. They also busted a lot f brackets in the process. For whatever reason, it seems this team checked out a few weeks ago. The only upside of this development is that I don’t need to but a new television for the condo today!

Wondering//  If Middlemarch is really appropriate beach reading…

Hoping//  This beautiful weather continues for our entire visit.

Looking forward to//  A bike ride to the Farmer’s Market and some peel & eat shrimp.

Blogging//  As we head into the final week of The TBR Triple Dog Dare, it looks like I’m going to make it... at least if you ignore that one special Sunday-afternoon dispensation ;-)

I'm sure how much internet access I’ll have this week, but I will catch up with all of you as soon as I can. Have a great week!

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We Are Water by Wally Lamb

We Are Water
by Wally Lamb
Harper, 2013
576 pages
source: purchased

Publisher's summary:
We Are Water  is a disquieting and ultimately uplifting novel about a marriage, a family, and human resilience in the face of tragedy, from Wally Lamb, the New York Times bestselling author of The Hour I First Believed  and I Know This Much Is True.

After 27 years of marriage and three children, Anna Oh—wife, mother, outsider artist—has fallen in love with Viveca, the wealthy Manhattan art dealer who orchestrated her success. They plan to wed in the Oh family’s hometown of Three Rivers in Connecticut. But the wedding provokes some very mixed reactions and opens a Pandora’s Box of toxic secrets—dark and painful truths that have festered below the surface of the Ohs’ lives.

We Are Water is a layered portrait of marriage, family, and the inexorable need for understanding and connection, told in the alternating voices of the Ohs—nonconformist, Anna; her ex-husband, Orion, a psychologist; Ariane, the do-gooder daughter, and her twin, Andrew, the rebellious only son; and free-spirited Marissa, the youngest. It is also a portrait of modern America, exploring issues of class, changing social mores, the legacy of racial violence, and the nature of creativity and art.

With humor and compassion, Wally Lamb brilliantly captures the essence of human experience and the ways in which we search for love and meaning in our lives.

My thoughts:

Wally Lamb is one of my favorite authors. When he writes a novel, it's always a "must read". This time I purchased the kindle edition because we were going on vacation and I didn't feel like lugging around a nearly 600 page hardcover.

As it turned out, We Are Water lead me on a different kind of journey. It is populated by typical Lamb characters - very real, but flawed. As usual, I delighted in the mention of familiar landmarks - Claire's in New Haven, CT and Syracuse University. And, as always, I loved Lamb's storytelling.

Yet somehow, this novel didn't have quite the same impact as his earlier works. I shed no tears, nor did I laugh out loud. Maybe the dark underbelly of humanity played too prominent a role this time. I found the pedophilia and abuse to be repulsive... and felt like I needed a shower after spending time with those characters. {However, as I type, it occurs to me that the revulsion is actually a different sort of impact.}

Despite hints of redemption, this was all a bit too much for me - too many story lines, too much dysfunction, too many pages. I am quite certain another excellent Lamb novel was in there but, with so much to wade through, I never quite found it.

Don't get me wrong. We Are Water  is still a good book with marvelous storytelling and I'm glad to have read it. Even though it will not be a favorite, it made me want to reread The Hour I First Believed or I Know This Much is True.

I love Wally Lamb's style.

My rating:

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Tuesday Intro: The Light Between Oceans

27th APRIL 1926 

On the day of the miracle, Isabel was kneeling at the cliff's edge, tending the small, newly made driftwood cross. A single fat cloud snailed across the late-April sky, which stretched above the island in a mirror of the ocean below. Isabel sprinkled more water and patted down the soil around the rosemary bush she had just planted. 

"...and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil," she whispered. 

For just a moment, her mind tricked her into hearing an infant's cry. She dismissed the illusion, her eye drawn instead by a pool of whales weaving their way up the coast to calve in the warmer waters, emerging now and again with a fluke of their tails like needles through tapestry. She heard the cry again, louder this time in the early-morning breeze. Impossible.

The Light Between Oceans
by M.L. Stedman

Even though I haven't finished Middlemarch, I still need to pack a few more books for our upcoming vacation. The Light Between Oceans  is my book club's next selection and it's already in my bag. My sister loved this one and, after reading the intro, I can't wait to get started.

What do you think? Does the intro make you want to keep reading?

Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the opening paragraph (sometime two) of a book she decided to read based on the opening. Feel free to grab the banner and play along.

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TSS: Another Week, Another Snowstorm

Here we are in mid-March and still talking about snowstorms....certainly not an unusual occurrence, but we all seem particularly weather-weary this year. Let's hope Vulcan's 12" dump was the last significant snowfall of the season.

The scene//  9AM, a lazy Sunday morning, drinking coffee, reading newspapers, blogging

Reading//  Middlemarch... I'm enjoying this cast of characters very much and hope to hit the 50% mark by the end of the weekend.

Listening//  Middlemarch, again. I decided to go the total immersion route and downloaded Juliet Stevenson's narration. I will finish this book... hopefully by the end of the month.

Watching//  The Syracuse Orangemen choke in the homestretch. I know injuries are a factor, but they really crashed and burned at the ACC tournament. Mercifully, our power went out with under two minutes left in the game so we couldn't see the bitter end...most notably those six missed shots in their final offensive possession. Today is Selection Sunday, so I'll be watching the brackets fill in this evening. On to the Big Dance.

And you guys were right - I'm loving Call the Midwife.

In the kitchen//  Yesterday I posted a recipe for the Easy Fish Piccata I mentioned in last week's Sunday Salon. I'm happy to report it turned out just as well the second time.

Loving//  The pretty pink tulips I picked up at Wegmans this week. A gorgeous display was set up just inside the front door... how could I resist? They offer a striking contrast to all the white outside.

Anticipating//  A trip to Florida on Friday! Twin A is on spring break and will join us the first week... I will very happily trade all this snow for sand.

Blogging//  A regular week ahead, but I'm not sure how much I'll be around once we get to Florida. Internet access is still an issue, but I will have my laptop and plan to make several trips to the library or coffee shop.

What do you have planned for today?

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Weekend Cooking: Easy Fish Piccata

We eat a lot of seafood in my family and every year around the beginning of Lent, I search for new recipes to add to my repertoire. Pinterest is a favorite source of inspiration and last week's find was Easy Fish Piccata. We all loved it but, unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture. I suppose I could have borrowed the photo from Pinterest, but I used a different type of fish... and the recipe was delicious so we were all happy to eat it again this week!

My pin is linked to Very Culinary blog. That recipe calls for frozen barramundi fillets which, as I learned from the post, is sometimes referred to as "sustainable sea bass". They can be purchased at Trader Joe's, but since TJ's won't make a debut in my area until fall, I perused the fresh fish offerings at Wegmans. I opted for flounder, but think sole, tilapia, or similar white fish would have worked just as well.

Here is my adapted version of the recipe:

Easy Fish Piccata 
Serves 2
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
• 2 Flounder fillets (about 6 ounces each)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• all-purpose flour (I used Wegman's Pan Searing Flour)
• nonstick spray
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 garlic gloves, minced
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon drained capers
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• fresh lemon slices
• chopped fresh Italian parsley

Directions
Season fillets with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then dredge in flour. Coat a sauté pan or electric skillet with nonstick spray, add oil, and heat to medium-high. Saute fillets for about 4 minutes on one side; gently flip over and saute the other side for about 3-4 minutes (depending on thickness) until golden. Transfer fillets to a platter.

Deglaze pan with wine and add minced garlic. Cook until liquid is nearly evaporated, about 1-2 minutes. Add broth, lemon juice, and capers. Add in butter. Once butter melts, pour sauce over fillets. Garnish with lemon slices and chopped fresh parsley. Serve immediately.

I served the fish with steamed broccoli and roasted butternut squash. If I'd prepared the squash ahead of time and just warmed it up, the entire dinner could have been on the table in just 15minutes. Meals don't get much quicker or easier than that!

Weekend Cooking, hosted at Beth Fish Reads, is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page

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