Mailbox Monday

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday! MM was created by Marcia at A girl and her books (fka The Printed Page), who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring meme (details here).

This month, Mailbox Monday is hosted by Martha's Bookshelf.  Please take the time to visit her wonderfully eclectic blog.

I got one terrific book last week:



The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen.

Publisher's Description:

Based on a remarkable true story, The Secrets of Mary Bowser is an inspiring tale of one daring woman's willingness to sacrifice her own freedom to change the course of history.

All her life, Mary has been a slave to the wealthy Van Lew family of Richmond, Virginia. But when Bet, the willful Van Lew daughter, decides to send Mary to Philadelphia to be educated, she must leave her family to seize her freedom.  

Life in the North brings new friendships, a courtship, and a far different education than Mary ever expected, one that leads her into the heart of the abolition movement. With the nation edging toward war, she defies Virginia law by returning to Richmond to care for her ailing father—and to fight for emancipation. Posing as a slave in the Confederate White House in order to spy on President Jefferson Davis, Mary deceives even those who are closest to her to aid the Union command.

Just when it seems that all her courageous gambles to end slavery will pay off, Mary discovers that everything comes at a cost—even freedom.

This looks really, really good.  It is getting rave reviews already, one from Barbara at Views from the Countryside.  You can find links to other reviews on the author's website. You can see the trailer here.  

Leveen lives here in Portland and has agreed to do an author interview on Rose City Reader. Check back soon to see what Lois has to say about writing, reading, and her debut novel.

Weekend Cooking: Amber Waves

I love Junior League cookbooks.  Who doesn't? And, having spent my childhood in Nebraska, my go to choice is Amber Waves, from the Omaha Junior League. 

This weekend, I went, as I have done so many times before, to the Best Ever Brisket recipe in Amber Waves.  It is easy and delicious and my Second Dinner Party recipe -- the recipe I make for guests coming to my house for a second time.  First time guests get Chicken Marbella from The Silver Palate Cookbook.  I always use the recipes in that order so I can keep track.

BEST EVER BRISKET (adapted from memory)

Day Before:

Rub a brisket with liquid smoke and wrap in heavy duty aluminum foil. Put in roasting pan and cook.  The recipe says to cook it for 30 minutes per pound at 350 degrees.  If I remember in time, I do this.

If I don't, I put it in the oven at 225 overnight -- setting the oven to turn off before I wake up if it is a little brisket.  This time, I have a six pound brisket, so I bunged it in the 225 oven at 8:00 pm and set the oven to turn off at 5:00 am.  The point is to apply heat to food -- a higher temperature for a shorter time; lower temperature for a longer time. Nine hours won't hurt it and if it needs more time, I can goose it in the morning.

Take the fat off the meat (now or later). Save the pan juices. Chill the brisket well.

Day Of:

Make a sauce of 16 ounces or so of ketchup,  1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup molasses, 1 tablespoon liquid smoke, 2 tablespoons red wine, 1 tablespoon hot sauce, a clove or two of minced garlic (the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of powdered).  Boil for 15 minutes. Cool until ready to use.

Slice the brisket across the grain in thin slices, 1/4-inch if possible, trying to keep it in brisket form.  Mix the sauce with at least half a cup of meat juice and mush the sauce between slices. Wrap brisket in heavy duty foil again. If this is too much trouble or too much of a mess, I just put it in a baking dish as close to the size of the brisket as possible, in as close to the original shape as possible, and cover with foil.

Before serving. heat at 275 for one hour, or until good and hot.

Serve with mashed potatoes, polenta, or some other starchy side dish.

There are usually no left overs. 

WEEKEND COOKING

Hosted by Beth Fish Reads

Review: A Month of Sundays

A Month of Sundays is about sex. It is also about religion. When Tom Marshfield, pastor of an unidentified Midwestern church, can’t stop combining the two, his wife, curate, jilted mistress, and bishop intervene to send him to a desert retreat for wayward clergy.

During his month in exile, the Reverend Tom spends the mornings reflecting on his recent exploits and writing a journal with increasingly sermon-like focus, waiting for the bar to open at noon, a round of golf, and an evening playing poker with other fallen fathers.

Guarded over (and secretly read?) by a Nurse Ratchet-like matron, these journal entries start by recounting Tom’s tragic-comic affair with his plump organist – John Updike at his salacious best – move through a sexually rococo phase as Tom gropes his way through the female side of his congregation, and end with a series of increasingly theosophical, although doctrinally dubious, reflections on faith.

A Month of Sundays is not for the Updike newbie. But seasoned fans will find plenty to enjoy.

OTHER REVIEWS

If you would like your review of this or any other John Updike book listed here, please leave a comment with a link and I will add it.

NOTES

This counts as my "calendar" book for the What's in a Name? Challenge and as another book for the Mt. TBR and Off the Shelf Challenges. 

Book Beginning: The Things You Would Have Said

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.  Please remember to include the title of the book and the author.

Leave a link to your post.  If you don't have a blog, but want to participate, please leave a comment with your Book Beginning.




MY BOOK BEGINNING

 

I have spent the last few years collecting letters from complete strangers.

 -- The Things You Would Have Said: The Chance to Say What You Always Wanted Them to Know, edited by Jackie Hooper.

This is the book edition of the popular blog by the same name.  It contains letters written by real people to others who have passed out of their lives -- parents, friends, enemies, their childhood selves, etc.  The letters are incredible.

This has huge Mother's Day potential.

What Are They Reading? Dressed for Death

Authors tend to be readers, so it is natural for them to create characters who like to read.  It is always interesting to me to read what books the characters are reading in the books I read. Even if I can't say that ten times fast.

Usually, the characters' choice of books reflects the author's tastes or, I sometimes think, what the author was reading at the time.  But sometimes the character's reading material is a clue to the character's personality, or is even a part of the story. 

This is an occasional blog event. If anyone wants to join in, feel free to leave a comment with a link to your related post. And feel free to use the button.  If this catches on, I can pick a day and make it a weekly event.

Dressed for Death by Donna Leon



In this third installment in Leon's Venice-based series featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti, both Guido and his wife Paola are reading some pretty heavy tomes.

Paola is on vacation with the kids in the mountains, escaping the August heat of Venice.  Apparently she is a big Henry James fan and is reading his novel, The Sacred Fount.  Paola and I are going to have to agree to disagree about James.  He will never be one of my favorites, as I discussed here and here.

Stuck in the city to solve a mystery, Guido draws inspiration from Tacitus, reading the classic author's History of Rome.

Whew!  Maybe Paola and Guido need to take a break and read a good mystery!