Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

Food to Eat While Reading:  Rose Orange Julius

I thought about Princess of the Midnight Ball when I wasn’t reading it and even dreamed about it once while taking a nap. The fact that the story crossed over into my daily life means the author was successful in getting her characters into my head. This re-telling of the twelve dancing princesses is a quick and enjoyable read.

Read the synopsis here

What I liked:

The writing felt effortless and flowed nicely. I soon forgot all about the author behind the scenes and immersed myself in Roses’ story.

The tale evolved so naturally, and with such creativity that I can hardly believe it was a fairy re-telling.

Jessica Day George handled the many sisters very well, giving most of them unique personalities and letting others fade into the background appropriately.

I loved Gaven, a humble, wool-knitting, gardener who had the courage to face powerful magic for his princess.

The use of German names added a sense of place.

The ending was lovely-all the ends were tied into a neat bow and it left me satisfied and happy. The side plot of Lily and Heinrich added a sweet dimension that made the ending that much more enjoyable.

What I was unsure of:

Many times the power of names was spoken of in the book. When it came down to it, I was disappointed with how the characters used the power that a name can have to deal with the evil in the book. I had been waiting for a powerful symbol of truth and ended up being a bit disappointed.

The verdict:

Princess of the Midnight Ball is a lovely read for anyone who enjoys a cleverly re-told fairytale. A “curl up with a good book” kind of read.

Purchase: Princess of the Midnight Ball

Genre: YA, fantasy
Publisher: Hardcover, 280 pages, January 20th 2009 by Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
Where I got the book: Library

Tasty Tuesday-District 12 Beef Brisket

*Don't forget to enter my 100 follower giveaway by commenting here
This recipe calls for a great big cut of meat called a brisket.  I can imagine that Katniss from Suzanne Collins' book, Mockingjay has had a chance to cook something similar after a hunting expedition with Gale.  Living in District 12 forced Katniss to be frugal and she would approve of the amount of people this recipe feeds for the price.  If you need to feed a crowd, this is a great recipe.  Be aware that is takes awhile to cook. 

District 12 Beef Brisket

8-9 pounds well-trimmed brisket
1 t each clery salt, onion salt, garlic salt
1 bottle liquid smoke
3 t salt
1/2 t pepper
3 T Worchestershire sauce
1/2-3/4 bottle of BBQ sauce (I add more if the meat is dry)

In a broiler or low pan, pour liquid smoke over trimmed beef.  Combine the 3 salts and sprinkle over both sides of meat.  Cover with foil and refridgerate overnight.
In the morning, sprinkle with salt and pepper and Worchestershire  sauce.  Cover with foil and bake in a 225' preheated oven for 7 hours.  Uncover and drain liquid.  Pour on the BBQ cause.  Back for 45 minutes to an hour.  Meat should be easily shreddable.  Serve on buns. 

Source: my mother in-law :)

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (spoiler free)

Food to eat while reading: District 12 Beef Brisket


What a wild ride this series is. To be honest, I am actually relieved to be done with it. Now don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the ride. But the emotional rollercoaster was so swift and stomach-dropping that I am happy to be on solid ground again.

Read the synopsis here

What I liked:

There were so many surprises and twists that I couldn't put the book down. Katniss is so unpredictable that I never know what is going to happen.

Collins is a master at painting the silence behind the words. When she describes what Katniss is experiencing, I feel like my heart is going to explode. It is even more poetic than poetry. Here is an example from page 349:

"Dead, but not allowed to die. Alive, but as good as dead. So alone that anyone, anything no matter how loathsome would be welcome. But when I finally have a visitor, it's sweet. Morphling. Coursing through my veins, easing the pain, lightening my body so that is rises back toward the air and rest again on the foam."
The author knows when to show and when to tell. She leaves out or summarizes the unnecessary and I am relieved to read only what is important to Katniss.

Katniss is given freedom by the author to do and say what she wants to. This makes for an interesting and impulsive story.

The ending was hard for me to swallow at first. But the more I think about it, the more fitting it becomes. Collins wove the ending so tightly, that up until the last page I didn't know how things would turn out. Yet, when I think back to the last few chapters, I can see the obvious winding down.

I was so very happy to see Katniss through to the end, if only to give her character some peace. She went through so much irony and unfair agony that I was comforted to see her settled.

The themes of war & peace, and the cycle of human society are classic. Collins drives them home with Katniss, a character so poignant and heartrending who isnpires us to make a difference in our own circle of influence.

What I was unsure of:

The violence and death. I know they are a part of war and defending oneself. But with Katniss, there seemed to be a disconnect from humanity along the way. The casualties who got in her way were bothersome to me, not to mention the innocent sufferers of the war, the children .

I think Katniss could have survived without either Gale or Peeta. I know that some would argue that she is the ultimate strong female character, but I think a woman can be strong and still want to have a husband and a home.

The Verdict:

Mockingjay is a satisfying conclusion to an emotional and gripping trilogy that will steal the hearts of both teens and adults.

Purchase: Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games)

Genre: YA, distopian

Publisher: Hardcover, 390 pages, August 24th 2010 by Scholastic Press
Where I got the book: Amazon

100 Follower (not 100 years) Birthday Giveaway

When I started this blog six months ago, I had no idea what a wonderful world of authors, reviewers and readers there are.  Today I reached 100 followers and it's also my (thankfully not 100th) birthday! 

To celebrate, I'm hosting a giveaway.  One lucky winner will recieve:

Their choice of a copy of
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins or $15 gift certificate to Amazon.com, and
A dozen homemade chocolate chip cookies.  Believe me, they are worth entering for.  
The contest will run until September 15th
To enter:

*provide a new and seperate comment in this post for each entry*

+1 Leave a comment with your email address and tell me your favorite read so far in 2010

+1 Follow me

+2 Mozy over to my one of my other blogs and leave a comment at ChristyDorrity or Irish Dance

+1 Read one of the book reviews I have written and leave a comment on that post.

+1 Be my friend on Goodreads here

+1 tweet the contest and leave a link here(one tweet per day)

+3 blog about the contest and leave the link here.

+1 post about the contest on your social networking site and leave a link here